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Dorothy turned, and there stood the dearest little doll with coal-black curls 
and coral-pink cheeks.— Page 78. Little Miss Dorothy . 


WrS . V\ tV\ a. ^.\ a\Te y\-asz Oya^a-T p 0 ; ie 

LITTLE MISS ^ 
^ Ng DOROTHY 


The J'tory of 
the Wonderful 
^fld'Oenturej! of 
Two Little “People 

By MARTHA 
JAMES 9 9 5 


WITH MANY ILLVSTR.ATIONS 
BY J. WATSON DAVIS 



A. L. BURT, PUBLISHER, 52-58 DUANE 
STREET, NEW YORK V 


the library of 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

MAY. 31 1901 

Copyright entry 
CLASS GUXXc. No. 

I $ 

COPY A. 


Copyright, 1901, by A. L. Burt. 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


PREFACE. 

O the wonderful journeys the children take 
In fairy boats o’er sunset lake : 

A drowsy fleet with Captain Snore, 

Who lands them safely on slumber shore ! 
And Little Boy Blue is waiting there 
To show them the road to dreamland fair. 

Over the road they float away, 

Meeting their friends of every day, 

Heroes of “ once-upon-a-time ” 

And magic scenes of ev’ry clime ; 

Playthings and friends the same until 
They reach dear Topsy-turvy Hill. 

And fairies nightly frolic there 
All on the road to dreamland fair. 












































































































. 
























































































































































































































































































































































































CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 


THE FUNNY PUDDING 1 

CHAPTER II. 

THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR 15 

CHAPTER III. 

THE BOY IN THE TEAPOT 30 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE BRONZE WOMAN 42 

CHAPTER Y. 

THE FAIRY BELL 53 

CHAPTER YI. 

THE ROSE-JAR BABY 67 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE dolls’ paradise 76 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SUGAR-BOWL FAIRY 90 


iii 


iv Contents. 


CHAPTER IX. 

PAGE 

A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND 101 

CHAPTER X. 

THE LAUGHING ROCK 115 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE TALKING CHAIR. . 13 2 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE ENCHANTED HORSE 147 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE THREE BOXES 159 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE TWO BROTHERS 172 

CHAPTER XV. 

LITTLE MISS HELPFUL 194 

CHAPTER XVI. 


THE WONDERFUL JOURNEY WITH THE SCREEN GIRL. 206 


CHAPTER XVII. 

A QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER 219 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

A PAIR OF OLD SHOES 235 

CHAPTER XIX. 

JOCK O’ THE PIPES 246 

CHAPTER XX. 

THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTACLES t 264 


INTRODUCTION. 

Dorothy May was a dear little girl, whose 
soft eyes met yours with a twinkle in their 
brown depths. She was very fond of Cousin 
Ray, a bright-haired boy all curves and dimples, 
who lived quite near and often came to play 
with her. 

These two little people wondered about the 
great world around them ; about the trees and 
flowers, the birds and the blue sky. 

Of course the fairies loved them, because 
fairies love all children, and hover around them 
to whisper strange sounds in their childish ears 
and picture wonderful sights for their innocent 
eyes. At least Aunt Polly said so, and told 
beautiful stories to prove it. But there, if I am 
going to tell you about the adventures of these 
two little folks, I must begin with The Funny 
Pudding . 





LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE FUNNY PUDDING. 

OROTHY and Ray were making 
mud pastry on Aunt Polly’s back 
steps. “ Get me a little more water, 
please ; this paste is too thick,” said 
Dorothy, and Ray brought the water from 
Aunt Polly’s bright kitchen. They made mud 
pies and mud cakes and took tiny sticks, with 
which they traced lines, circles, and faces on 
them. 

“Wouldn’t it be nice to make real pies and 
cakes ? ” said Dorothy. 

“ Yes,” answered Ray, “ if you knew how.” 

“ Why, anybody can make them ! ” exclaimed 
Dorothy. “ It’s just raisins and things ! ” 



2 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ If I could make real pies and cakes I’d eat 
them all the time,” said Ray. 

“ So would I ! ” exclaimed Dorothy. 

“Ono! you wouldn’t,” said a wee voice behind 
them. The children turned and there stood a 
little old woman about as high as your twelve- 
inch rule. She wore a white cap and blue 
apron and carried a tiny spoon in her hand. 

“ You couldn’t eat sweets all the time,” cried 
the little old woman. 

u Just try us,” said Ray. “ I think I could.” 

“ I know I could,” cried Dorothy. “ I love 
tarts, I could live on tarts.” 

“And pudding,” said Ray; “I could eat it 
all day long.” 

“ So could I,” replied Dorothy ; “ I wish I had 
some pudding now.” 

“You shall have all the pudding you want,” 
said the old woman, “ if you do as I say. Sit 
close together ; close your eyes and when I say 
4 Salt ’ open them,” % 


THE FUNNY PUDDING. 3 

The children did as the old woman said and 
sat very still with their eyes closed while she 
sang these words : — 

“ Listen, children, while I tell 
How to make a pudding well : 

Sift your flour fine and white, 

And a quart will be all right ; 

Sugar, just a cup — no more ; 

Eggs, well beaten — put in four ; 

Lump of butter melt, and — halt ! 

Don’t forget a pinch of — Salt.” 

The children opened their eyes at the magic 
word. The old woman had disappeared, and 
instead of Aunt Polly’s back steps they were in 
the kitchen of a great castle. 

“ How funny you look, Kay,” said Dorothy, 
“with that cap and apron on just like a 
baker.” 

“ Well, you look funny too,” replied Ray ; 
“there’s a big daub of flour on your nose.” 

Dorothy tried to brush it off and asked, “ Is 
it off?” 


4 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“No,” replied Ray; “it looks bigger than 
ever.” 

“ Never mind it,” said Dorothy, “ let’s go to 
work and make a pudding, a sweet, juicy, de- 
licious pudding.” 

“ Good,” cried Ray ; “ my mouth waters 
already. What can I do ? ” 

“You can help,” said his cousin ; “first of all, 
we’ll get a large pan to mix things in.” 

Over the fireplace in the great kitchen hung 
shining pans of all sorts and sizes. 

“ I’ll have that large one,” said Dorothy, 
pointing to one, and Ray started to get it. But 
imagine their surprise when a round face ap- 
peared on the pan that grinned at them, and all 
at once the pan jumped down from its place 
and began to waltz around the floor. It looked 
so funny with its round body and short legs 
that the children laughed aloud. All of a sud- 
den it gave a jump on to the table, where it 
remained quiet, like any sensible pudding pan. 


THE FUNNY PUDDING. 


5 


“ Now for the flour,” said Dorothy ; and no 
sooner did she say the words than a barrel of 
flour came dancing into the kitchen on long 
spindle legs with the funniest face you ever saw, 
and with its hands folded on its great stomach. 
The children laughed so heartily at this droll 
sight that the tears rolled down their cheeks ; 
and when the funny barrel made a low bow in 
the middle of the floor, Dorothy was laughing 
so hard that she could not speak, but Kay went 
to the barrel and took out a quart of flour. 
Then the barrel made another bow and walked 
with a swagger out of the kitchen. 

“Eggs next,” said Dorothy, “ and here they 
are.” 

Four eggs appeared walking on stilts into the 
kitchen. All at once they jumped off the stilts 
and began to chase each other. The children 
gave peals of laughter as they watched the 
activity of the four eggs : at last Kay cried out, 
u Let’s catch them.” The children began to run 


6 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


after the eggs. Dorothy caught one and broke 
it in the pan, and then the three other eggs 
scrambled in as fast as they could. “ This is the 
funniest pudding I ever heard of,” said Dorothy. 
u I wonder what comes next.” Just then a voice 


“ Listen, children, while I tell 
How to make a pudding well : 

Sift your flour fine and white. 

And a quart will be all right ; 

Sugar, just a cup — no more ; 

Eggs, well beaten — put in four ; 

Lump of butter melt, and — halt ! 

Don’t forget a pinch of — Salt.” 

“ Get the sugar and salt, and I’ll melt the 
butter,” said Dorothy ; and no sooner did she say 
the words than sugar, salt, and butter dropped 
into the pan before their eyes. 

Then a great spoon walked up to the pan 
and began to mix the pudding while Dorothy 
and Ray looked on in wonder. 

“I forgot raisins,” said Dorothy; and just 


THE FUNNY PUDDING. 


7 


then a shower of raisins fell into the pudding. 
The children watched the wonderful pudding 
making itself. “ I wonder whose castle this is,” 
said Ray ; u let us walk around and see if we can 
find out who lives here.” 

“ And when we come back the pudding will 
be all made,” exclaimed Dorothy. 

They walked out of the kitchen and came to 
a great dining-room where a table was spread 
with all sorts of good things. There were two 
chairs at the table, and it did not take the chil- 
dren a minute to sit in them and sample the 
goodies. Ray passed Dorothy a plate that was 
heaped with flaky jam tarts, and in a very few 
minutes there wasn’t a tart left on the plate. 

They ate plum cake and mince pies, and when 
these were disposed of a great steaming pudding 
appeared in the center of the table. 

“Perhaps its our pudding all cooked,” said 
Ray, “ how good it smells.” 

They piled their plates wdth the pudding 


8 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


again and again, forgetting tlieir good manners 
until it was all eaten up. 

When everything on the table was eaten they 
arose and walked into another room. They 
found a table filled with fruit, candies and bon- 
bons. 

In a short time these were all eaten up and 
another room in the castle explored. 

44 Suppose we go outside,” cried Dorothy. 44 I 
couldn’t eat any more, could you ? ” 

44 No,” said Ray ; 44 I don’t feel very well.” 

“ I don’t either,” said the little girl, and they, 
took each other’s hands and went outside into 
a garden. 

There was a beautiful fountain playing in the 
sunlight, but the children never noticed it. To 
tell the truth they had eaten so much that they 
did not feel happy at all, and could not enjoy 
the lovely garden. 

“ 1 shan’t go another step,” said Ray, with a 
frown ; 44 I’m going to rest on this bench.” 


THE FUNNY PUDDING. 


9 


“Don’t be so cross,” cried Dorothy., “I’m 
going to sit down too.” 

Just as Dorothy sat down there was a loud 
noise, and in the distance the children saw a 
great giant approaching. 

“Let’s hide,” said Dorothy, and quick as a 
flash the children got behind the bench before 
the giant had seen them. 

There was a hole in the back of the bench 
and they could peek through. The giant walked 
right over to the bench and sat down, while 
close behind it, the children were hiding as 
frightened as could be. 

They didn’t dare speak, but they thought 
that the giant was the ugliest monster they had 
ever seen. 

After a while he put up his great arms and 
yawned. The bench groaned and creaked with 
his immense weight, and all at once it broke 
down and the giant lay sprawling on the 
ground. The children jumped from their 


10 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


hiding-places, but not before the giant had 
seen them. 

“ What are you doing in my garden ? ” roared 
the giant, getting on his feet. 

“ If you please, we got here by mistake,” said 
Eay. 

“ We were in the castle,” explained Dorothy, 
“ where we ate so many tarts and things that 
we had to come out here.” 

“ So ho ! ” roared the giant. “ Did you know 
that whoever enters my castle belongs to me ? ” 

The children trembled, and the monster con- 
tinued : u This is the kingdom of the greedy, 
and I am the ruler ; henceforth and forever you 
belong to me.” 

u Oh, please let us go home,” said Dorothy ; 
“ we don’t like your castle.” 

“ Silence ! ” roared the giant. “ If you disobey 
me I’ll boil you in my pot of soup.” 

The children were very quiet after that ter- 
rible threat and did not dare raise their eyes 



“What are you doing in my garden? ” 
—Page 10. 


roared the giant, getting on his feet. 

Little Miss Dorothy. 


XV 

/ 




* 






4 




# 












THE FUNNY PUDDING. 


11 


to look at the giant. They felt very badly. 
Dorothy had a pain in her stomach and Ray’s 
head ached. 

Suddenly a great bell rang and the giant 
jumped saying : u There’s the dinner-bell, come 
with me.” 

u Please, Sir Giant, we don’t want any dinner,” 
said Ray, timidly. 

“ Silence ! ” roared the giant, “ if you disobey 
me I’ll boil you in my pot of soup. 

Poor sick, surfeited children ! They followed 
the giant into the castle and sat at the very 
table where they had eaten so much. 

The table was all piled high with a fresh 
supply of pastry and the great greedy giant soon 
devoured everything in sight. The table of 
goodies made Ray frown, and Dorothy’s head 
ache. When the greedy monster had eaten 
everything in sight, he leaned back in his chair, 
closed his eyes, and in a few minutes began to 


snore. 


12 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


I 


“ Now is our chance,” whispered Ray, and he 
took Dorothy’s hand and they stole on tiptoe 
out of the room. Just as they reached the door 
a voice sang out, u I’m all ready.” 

The children turned and there stood their 
great pudding that had made itself. They 
started to run away, but the pudding ran after 
them calling : 

“ Come back, come back ! ” On and on ran 
the children, and every now and then a slice 
of pudding struck them on the back as they 
ran. 

Down the long garden, through winding paths, 
over hedges the children fled from the funny 
pudding and the kingdom of the greedy. 

At last they reached a gate and when they 
were outside the very first person they met was 
the little old woman with the white cap and 
blue apron. “ What ! ” she exclaimed, u you are 
not running away from all the good things in 
the castle, are you ? ” 


THE FUNNY PUDDING. 


13 


w Yes, we are,” cried Bay, u we want to go 
home.” 

u Bat think of all the pies and tarts and 
puddings in there ! ” cried the little woman. 

“I would rather have my nice bread and 
milk than all the tarts in the world,” said 
Dorothy. 

u But you said you could live on sweets and 
eat pudding all daylong,” said the old woman. 

u We didn’t mean it,” replied Bay. u We don’t 
want any more pudding and we do want to get 
away from the kingdom of the greedy and this 
terrible giant.” 

“ Well, well ! ” said the old woman ; “ I don’t 
blame you for that ; he is certainly a very ugly 
giant, and little boys and girls ought not to 
belong to his kingdom.” 

“ Never,” said Kay. 

“You know,” continued the old woman, 
“ when little boys and girls are greedy and 
want more than mamma thinks > is good for 


14 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


them, they belong to the kingdom of the greedy 
and this giant is their ruler.” 

“He is such a horrid giant, too,” said Dor- 
othy, “ so ugly and impolite.” 

“Yes,” cried Ray, rubbing his stomach, “he 
gives me a pain.” 

Then the little old woman touched them 
lightly with her spoon and vanished with a 
smile and the children found themselves on 
Aunt Polly’s back steps in the midst of their 
dear mud pies. 


CHAPTER II. 


THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR. 



HEN Ray was only a baby he 
would hold the woolly lamb that 
grandma had brought him in his 
chubby little fists, saying, u I love 
oo, lamb,” and there was a great colored ball that 
he liked to roll across the floor and say, u Oo ball, 
turn back, turn back.” Then he would run and 
catch it and hold it up to his dear little dimpled 
chin. 

But when he grew to be quite a little man 
and could walk from room to room it pleased 
him to sit in the big chairs, look at the pictures 
and talk to them all by himself. There was 
one small picture card on his papa’s desk that 
Ray liked very much. It was the picture of a 
golden-haired girl standing beside a large vase, 
with a bunch of roses in her hand and a wreath 
of rosebuds on her head. 


15 


16 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ I think she looks just like my cousin 
Dorothy,” said Kay, “ only she wears her dress 
right down to her slippers and Dorothy’s dress 
is short.” 

His mamma had told him that the picture 
girl was little Miss Calendar, but Kay liked to 
call her Kosebud. 

One afternoon Kay was feeling rather tired. 
He sat all curled up in his papa’s easy -chair at 
the desk. 

“ Please, Kosebud, I wish you would talk to 
me,” said Kay wistfully, looking at little Miss 
Calendar with tired eyes. 

The picture-girl smiled at him and whispered, 
“ How do you do, Kay ? ” 

“ I’m very well, thank you,” answered the little 
boy ; “ but I didn’t know that you knew me.” 

“ Didn’t you ? ” replied Rosebud. “ I know 
you very well indeed.” 

“ That seems strange,” said Kay ; a how do you 
know me so well ? ” 


THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR. 17 

u I see you every day and hear your mamma 
talking to you,” was the answer. 

“Yes, of course you do, I never thought of 
that,” said Kay. “ Perhaps you see everything 
I do.” 

“ I do indeed,” replied the picture-girl ; 
“ that is, I see everything you do in this 
room.” 

“You must excuse me for throwing all the 
books on top of you when I was putting my 
papa’s desk ‘in order. I hope it did not hurt 
you.” 

“ Of course I don’t like to have books thrown 
at me, it hurts my feelings,” said Kosebud 
sweetly. 

“ I wouldn’t do that for anything and I shall 
be more careful,” added Kay. 

“ Do you ever play ? ” asked the little boy 
thinking what a sweet little playmate Kosebud 
would be. 

“ O yes, when I’m not busy.” 


18 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ What do you do when you are busy ? ” 
asked Ray with curiosity. 

“ Well, you see,” said Rosebud, u all the days 
of the year are numbered right under my feet, 
and when people come in to see my calendar I 
smile and hold up my roses, so that they may 
know that it is a beautiful day and smile also.” 

“ But suppose it isn’t a beautiful day,” said 
the boy ; “ suppose it happens to be dark and 
rainy.” 

“But every day is beautiful and if it is a 
little dark I try to look all the brighter.” 

“ I don’t like rainy days very well,” said Ray, 
“ but perhaps they are nice.” 

“ Indeed they are,” answered Rosebud ; “ how 
bright the flowers look after a shower ! And 
the dear rain washes everything, you know.” 

“Rainy days are good, I forgot about the 
flowers and things,” said Ray and then added 
quickly, “ If you were not busy now you might 
play with me.” 


THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR. 19 

u I’ll tell you a story,” said Rosebud, “if you 
would like to bear me.” 

Ray was delighted to bear a story and sat 
very still while Rosebud began : — 

Once upon a time there was a little brown 
mouse whose name was Nibble. He built him- 
self a snug house not far from the coal-bin in a 
nice warm cellar. Every day he attended to 
his household duties, called at his grocery store 
(the pantry up-stails) and then went out for a 
quiet walk. One day he met Mrs. Ratt, who 
lived across the street, and he stopped to have 
a friendly chat with her. 

“ How do you like your tenants ? ” asked Mrs. 
Ratt. 

“ Very much indeed,” replied Nibble. u They 
are so exclusive that they won’t even tolerate a 
cat. Of course that shows their good sense, 
because of all creatures I do dislike cats, they 
are so ” 


Grasping,” sneered Mrs. Ratt. 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


20 

“ Yes,” assented Nibble, “and nosy, if I may 
use a vulgar expression.” 

“And sly,” quoth Mrs. Ratt, shaking her 
head. 

“ Yes, indeed,” replied Nibble, “ if those horrid 
cats had their way they would drive us out of 
existence.” 

“Well, thank goodness, I’m not annoyed by 
the ill-bred creatures,” he added with a satisfied 
blink. 

“ No,” sighed Mrs. Ratt, “ you are rich and 
prosperous while I have to scratch for a bite to 
eat.” 

Nibble gloried in his good fortune, so he told 
Mrs. Ratt about all the good things he had to 
eat, and to crown this air of plenty he invited 
Mrs. Ratt and all her family to a party the 
following night. Then they parted and Nibble 
went home to arrange his house in neat order 
for his guests. 

He had some fine old cheese and was going 


THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR. 21 

to make a rarebit for his friends, but he got so 
hungry that he ate it all up, and on the night 
of the party he found that he had but one 
cracker and a piece of an old shoe. He was 
disappointed, because he wanted to impress 
Mrs. Ratt with his abundance. He had just 
made up his mind to go to the grocery store 
before she came when he heard a little squeal 
outside his house, and on opening the door 
there stood Mrs. Ratt and all her children. 

“ Good evening,” said Mrs. Ratt, “ I’m afraid 
we are a little late, but the fact is I’m rather 
timid, you know, and waited until it was quite 
safe.” 

“ You did perfectly right,” said Nibble. “ I’m 
afraid you live in a very dangerous locality.” 

“ I should say so,” replied Mrs. Ratt, and she 
raised her eyes in horror. “ There have been no 
less than five hold-ups within the last week, 
all my relations too,” she added with a squeal. 

u Who is the desperado ? ” asked Nibble. 


22 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


u Whc> should it be but our ancient enemy,” 
groaned Mrs. Eatt, shaking her head. “ A pre- 
cious pair of rascals by name Thomas and 
Maria, they are the terror of our peaceful com- 
munity.” 

“ Horrors ! ” exclaimed Nibble, “ those two 
midnight prowlers ! ” 

w Yes,” sighed Mrs. Eatt, u not only commit- 
ting deeds of violence, but disturbing the 
whole neighborhood with their orgies.” 

“ Well, well,” said Nibble, “ there’ll be an end 
to it some time,” and Mrs. Eatt added quickly, 
u Yes, if there isn’t an end to us first.” 

“ I wonder people put up with their behavior ! ” 
exclaimed Nibble. 

“ Put up with it ! ” echoed Mrs. Eatt, with 
scorn, “ they like it and encourage those cats in 
their evil doing. Why, only the other day I 
happened to be peeking through the blinds 
and there stood a man stroking this same 
notorious Maria and calling her pet names.” 


THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR. 23 

u The idea ! ” said Nibble, “ and what did she 
do, the pampered thing ? ” 

u Why, even then, she had her back up 
about something,” was the answer. 

u Suppose we think of something more pleas- 
ant to talk about,” ventured Nibble, in his 
sweetest tones, “ these cats grate on my nerves.” 

Just then the baby rat cried out, “ I’m hungry,” 
and Nibble had to give him the only cracker to 
eat. 

“ Now, what shall I do ? ” thought Nibble ; 
u there isn’t a thing in my house except that 
old shoe, and that will only sharpen their ap- 
petites.” 

All at once a new thought struck him and 
he said, “I have a little surprise in store for 
you, my dear Mrs. Ratt ; instead of having the 
party in my humble place, I thought we might 
go up-stairs where there is more light and 
air.” 

“ How delightful ! ” exclaimed Mrs* Ratt, 


24 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


while Nibble added, u Of course we will be 
just as quiet as possible to show the folks that 
we do not hold our gatherings after the manner 
of those ill-bred cats.” 

u Certainly,” assented all the rats, and they 
followed their host out of the cellar and up the 
stairs so quietly that you would never have 
heard them. 

They had supper in the pantry, and a most 
tempting repast it was ! Crackers, cheese, ap- 
ples, lump sugar and a delicious morsel of 
nnnce pie. 

“ How thoughtful your tenants must be ! ” 
said Mrs. Ratt, “ this pie is really good.” 

“ Just like mother used to make,” said Nibble 
with a wink. 

“ But what have we here ? ” cried Mrs. Ratt, 
smelling a stone jug. 

She got the stopper off and after taking a 
deep whiff exclaimed : “ Elderberry wine as 
I live ! ” Then she raised her eyes and said : 


THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR. 25 

“ All, Nibble, you are indeed blessed with the 
good things of this life ! ” Nibble waved one of 
his front feet as much as to say, “ This is really 
nothing at all, you know,” when all at once those 
young rats knocked over the jug of wine. It 
made a terrible noise and very soon footsteps 
were heard approaching the pantry. In a second 
Nibble had started with all his friends behind 
him and never stopped running until he reached 
his house in the cellar quite breathless with 
excitement. 

No sooner did he get in bed than he heard a 
terrible squeal in the street and he knew that 
something dreadful had happened to Mrs. Ratt 
and her family. 

As he never saw them again he had strong 
suspicions that Thomas and Maria had added 
another crime to their long list of misdeeds. 

Whether it was owing to the elderberry wine 
or the hasty flight, Nibble slept very sound that 
night and all the next day. 


26 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


After that he felt better, and one morning he 
ventured to peep out. 

Imagine his surprise when there sat a bold, 
bad cat looking at him. 

“ Good morning,” said Maria, pleasantly. 

“ How do you do ? ” returned Nibble with great 
dignity. 

u O, won’t you come and play with me ? ” 
asked Maria in her most coaxing tones. 

“ No, thank you,” said Nibble, “ I’m too busy.” 

“ How doth the little busy mouse 
Improve each shining minute. 

She softly travels through the house 
And gets the best that’s in it.” 

Thus sang Maria, and then laughed long and 
loud, but even this little serenade would not 
tempt Nibble from his cosy house. 

“ You are the handsomest mouse in these 
parts,” said the cat. 

Nibble pricked up his ears ; he did love to be 
flattered, and whispered, “ Think so ? ” 


THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR. 27 

“ I’m, sure of it,” answered Maria ; “ and if it 
was not for the fact that you’ve lost your tail 
you’d be the prince of fine fellows.” 

“ But I haven’t lost my tail,” declared Nibble ; 
“ it is very long indeed.” 

“ I can hardly believe that,” said Maria, “ be- 
cause the other day when you went up-stairs to 
the pantry I could not see any tail.” 

“Did you see me the other day going into 
the pantry ? ” asked Nibble in surprise. 

u O yes, indeed ! ” answered the cat. 

Now this statement of Maria’s was not true, as 
she had never seen Nibble until that moment, 
but the foolish little mouse believed it, and 
thought if the cat did not hurt her on that other 
day she would not now. 

w I’ll just run across the cellar and then you 
can see for yourself what a nice tail I have,” said 
the vain Nibble. 

That was all the cat wanted. She caught 
Nibble and that was the last that was seen of him. 


28 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


When Rosebud had finished this story she 
danced all around on her dainty toes. Then she 
glided slowly forward and backward, making 
low courtesies to the little boy. After a while 
her steps became faster and faster. She shook 
her pretty curls and beckoned to Ray, and before 
he knew it he was dancing too. 

Rosebud took his hand, and together they 
danced all around the room. 

The strangest part of it was that they danced 
over chairs and tables as lightly as if they were 
not there. O it was delightful, and Ray felt that 
if there had been a window open they would 
have danced right out and up to the blue sky. 
At last they stopped a minute, and just then 
there was a step in the hall and somebody 
opened the door. 

It was Ray’s dear mamma who had missed her 
little boy and had come to find him. 

“ O mamma ! ” exclaimed Ray, u I want you to 
meet my little playmate.” 


THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR. 29 

Ray turned to find Rosebud, but she was not 
there. Then he looked behind the chairs and in 
every corner but he could not find her. 

He was just beginning to feel very much dis- 
appointed when he happened to looked on his 
papa’s desk. There was Rosebud in her old 
place on the picture standing with her bunch of 
roses and smiling at him. 


CHAPTER III. 


THE BOY IN THE TEAPOT. 

N Aunt Polly’s table stood a blue 
china teapot. Such a pretty little 
teapot it was, with strange leaves 
and figures all over it, and right 
in the center was a queer little boy with two 
great birds, one on each side of him. He was 
dressed queerly too, lot at all like the little boys 
you know. He were a loose sack with very 
wide sleeves and a broad sash that went under 
his arms. His trousers were very wide and he 
had on the dearest little slippers with curled up 
toes. 

Ray liked to look at Ah Lee (that was the 
teapot boy’s name) and wondered about him. 
And as our little boy often visited Aunt Polly 
he became very well acquainted with the strange 
little boy in the teapot. 

One afternoon his auntie had company and 



THE BOY IN THE TEAPOT. 31 

Ray was among the guests. After having a cup 
of delicious tea, made in the blue china teapot, 
everybody looked at Ray and then stole softly 
into the parlor. 

He was lying on his back on an old-fashioned 
lounge, his hands under his head, thinking about 
the teapot boy. 

Imagine his surprise when all at once some- 
body said, “I think I’ll go home this after- 
noon/’ 

“ Excuse me,” said Ray, who was not quite 
sure, “ did you speak, Ah Lee ? 

“ Yes,” answered the boy in the teapot, “ I’m 
going to take a flying trip home. Would you 
like to come ? ” 

“ Thank you,” said Ray, “ I would like it very 
much, if you don’t stay too late.” 

“ Come along then,” replied Ah Lee, stepping 
down from the teapot and the two great birds 
with him. He jumped on the back of one of 
the birds and said to Ray, “ Follow me,” and 


32 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


almost before he knew it, Ray was on the back 
of the other bird flying through the air behind 
the teapot boy. They flew over houses and high 
church steeples, over the tree-tops and telegraph 
poles, over deep woods and open green meadows. 
At last they came to a very large lake. 

“ Let us fly down here and water our birds,” 
said Ah Lee, beginning to descend on his great 
bird. Ray did the same, and when they were 
near enough to the water the birds put their 
long bills into it and took a deep drink. Then 
they rose into the air again and continued their 
journey over the land and over the sea. 

“ Is it very far ? ” asked Ray, as they flew along 
faster and faster all the time. 

“We are almost there,” answered Ah Lee, 
and in a very few minutes they began to de- 
scend down, down, down, until they touched the 
ground. 

The boys got off the birds and Ray looked 
about him. He had never seen such queer 



Almost before' he knew it, Ray was on the back of the other bird flying 
through the air behind the teapot boy.— Page 32. Little Miss Dorothy. 


THE BOY IN THE TEAPOT. 


33 


sights before. The people around him looked 
just like Ah Lee. 

They were dressed in soft, bright-colored silks 
and had long braids of straight black hair. 

Ah Lee took Ray’s hand and they walked 
along till they came to a queer little house with 
a garden. 

“ Now you sit here and wait for me,” whispered 
Ah Lee, and he went into the house while Ray 
waited on a small black stool. He thought the 
flowers were very pretty about him, and he was 
just going to take one when a voice called out, 
“ The Princess comes to the garden ! ” Ray 
turned to see who had spoken and beheld a little 
girl, who smiled at him and held a fan behind 
her ear. She asked him who he was and whence 
he came and when he had told his story she said : 

“ My name is Yan Lu and I attend the Prin- 
cess.” 

u How I would like to see her ! ” exclaimed 
Ray. 


34 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ Then follow me,” said Yan Lu. “ I will hide 
thee behind a great plant and thou canst see 
the Princess when she comes.” 

Ray followed Yan Lu and as they went along 
he could not help looking at her feet. Such 
tiny feet he had never seen ! They were so 
small that she could hardiy walk. She took 
little mincing steps and rested a great many 
times, looking behind at Ray and smiling. 

“ Are your shoes too tight ? ” asked our little 
boy, feeling sorry for Yan Lu and glad that his 
own shoes were so comfortable. 

But Yan Lu looked down at her little feet 
and only laughed and then glanced slyly at Ray 
and laughed again. He began to think that 
perhaps they did not hurt her, she laughed so 
much about it. 

Ray noticed that her hair was all done up in 
rolls and had great pins sticking through it. 

“ She is really a very odd little girl,” thought 
Ray. 


THE BOY IN THE TEAPOT. 


35 


They came to a large plant and Yan Lu told 
Ray to stand behind it. Then she waved her 
fan to him and took her little mincing steps 
again and walked off. In a few seconds Ray 
saw a procession coming. He kept very still, 
and as it came nearer he saw that four tall men 
were carrying a sort of chair in which a little 
girl was sitting. 

“ That must be the Princess,” thought Ray, 
and just then he caught sight of his little friend 
Yan Lu who walked behind the chair. 

When they reached the spot where Ray was 
hiding the four tall men placed the chair on the 
ground and the little Princess arose and stepped 
out of it. She waved her hand and the men 
took the chair and walked away. Ray was not 
afraid of the Princess, but still he did not want 
her to see him, so he kept as still as a mouse 
behind the great plant. 

She looked all round and suddenly peered 
through the leaves at Ray. Their eyes met 


36 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


and the little Princess said softly, “Peek-a- 
Boo!” 

Bay could not help smiling, but he quickly 
stepped to the other side of the plant. The 
Princess did the same and, smiling through the 
leaves, whispered again, “ Peek-a-Boo ! ” Then 
Bay came from behind the plant and stood face 
to face with the Princess and Yan Lu. 

w Won’t you please tell me your name ? ” asked 
Bay, and the little Princess replied : 

“ Why, my friend, I have told it to you twice. 
My name is Peek-a-Boo.” 

“Are you carried in that chair all the time?” 
asked Bay, and Peek-a-Boo replied : 

“ Most of the time ; you see my feet are so 
■small that I cannot walk very well, they are 
smaller even that Yan Lu’s.” 

“What a pity,” cried Bay; “ I hope they 
will grow bigger.” 

“ O no, little boy ; they are all bandaged up 
go that they cannot grow ! ” 


THE BOY IN THE TEAPOT. 


37 


“ It must hurt,” replied Kay. 

“ Well, perhaps it does a little,” said Peek-a- 
Boo with a giggle ; u but in my country it is 
considered very nice for girls to have tiny 
feet.” 

“ My cousin Dorothy is a little girl like you,” 
remarked Kay, u and her feet are almost as large 
as mine.” 

Both girls gave a little shriek at this piece of 
news and Peek-a-Boo said, “ O-o-o ! that must 
be dreadful ! ” 

u O, no, it isn’t,” answered Kay quickly ; u I 
think it is fine to have feet that you can run 
and jump with.” 

Yan Lu laughed aloud and Peek-a-Boo giggled 
behind her fan. 

“ Would you like to play?” asked Peek-a- 
Boo suddenly. 

Before Kay could answer Yan Lu whispered 
something to the Princess and she said, “ Truly 
I forgot it is the great kite-flying day and my 


38 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


grandfather flies a ship. She turned to Kay and 
said, “ Come quickly.” He followed the two 
little girls down the garden path and all at once 
he saw the queerest sight. A number of people, 
old and young, were flying kites. 

They were very much interested in it and 
Ray had never seen such queer-looking kites 
before. They were all sorts and sizes, and all at 
once Peek-a-Boo clapped her hands and cried, 
“ There is my grandfather with his great ship.” 
Ray looked and saw an old man with a kite 
shaped like a great ship, and he was running 
hither and thither with it like a boy. 

It was fun for Ray to watch him and he grew 
so excited that he ran to the old man and asked 
if he might help. 

After much effort the great kite rose in the. 
air and everybody seemed pleased. Ray watched 
a small boy whose kite was so far up in the air 
that it looked like a tiny white speck. All at 
once the boy began to draw down the kite, and 


THE BOY IN THE TEABOT. 


39 


when he caught it Ray saw that it was in the 
shape of a great fish. 

When he had seen all the queer kites Yan Lu 
whispered : 

“ You must be hungry, come with me and get 
some dinner.” 

Peek-a-Boo remained near her grandfather 
viewing the kites, while Ray followed Yan Lu 
into the house and sat at a table right beside his 
old friend Ah Lee. A small bowl was placed 
before him and two little wooden sticks. Ray 
forgot where he was for a minute and started 
to drum with them, but Ah Lee gently touched 
his foot and Ray remembered that it was not 
polite to drum on the table. 

Ray had a dish of chop suee and a tiny 
cup of black tea which tasted very good in- 
deed. 

As they arose from the table he could hear 
voices singing in another room and it sounded 
just like this : — 


40 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ Oo luck ging foo, 

Chow chow wing choo, 

Ah Lee chee chee, 

0 chee 0 chee.” 

It sounded so funny to Ray tliat he laughed 
aloud, but Ah Lee shook his head and Ray said 
quickly, “ Please excuse me.” 

“ Are we going home soon ? ” asked Ray, as 
they went into the garden. 

“ Yes,” answered Ah Lee, “ we are going now.” 
He took Ray’s hand and they ran quickly to the 
spot where the great birds were waiting for 
them. 

Just as they jumped on the birds, Ray saw 
Yan Lu and the little Princess Peek-a-Boo wav- 
ing their fans and saying “ Good-by, come again 
from the land of big feet.” 

Ray smiled at the two little girls and rose in 
the air on his bird. 

In another minute he was flying ; over lakes 
and rivers, mountains and valleys, and far over 


THE BOY IN THE TEAPOT. 


41 


a great deep ocean where large ships were 
sailing. 

Ray held on to his bird with all his might 
when they were flying over the dark water so 
that he would not fall. 

Again they flew over steeples and house-tops 
and reached Ray’s country. Right down to 
Aunt Polly’s house flew the birds, but how they 
got into the house and how Ah Lee and his 
great birds got back to their old places on the 
teapot, and how Ray found himself on the 
lounge, I leave you, my dear little readers, to 
guess. 

However, it was all done so quickly that no- 
body knew what had happened except Ray and 
the Boy in the Teapot. 


CHAPTER IV. 


TIIE BRONZE WOMAN. 

HE bronze woman held a brown 
jar on her head and stood on a 
rug in Dorothy’s parlor. One 
night just before bedtime Dor- 
othy sat on the rug and tried to talk to the 
bronze woman, but she remained very silent, so 
after awhile Dorothy said “ good night ” and 
went with her nurse to bed. When she was 
alone, all tucked nicely in her little white bed 
she felt a draft of cold air blow right in her 
face and at the same time her window opened. 
There stood the bronze woman on the window- 
sill with her brown jar on her head looking at 
Dorothy. 

“ Where are you going ? ” asked the child, 
watching the woman in the moonlight. 

“ I’m going for water,” was the answer almost 

in a whisper. 

42 



THE BRONZE WOMAN. 


43 


“ Can I help yon ?” asked Dorothy, who was a 
dear little maid, willing to help everybody. 

u No, thank you,” said the bronze woman, “ I 
am used to carrying it, “ but I’ll give you a ride 
on my head.” 

“ How good that would be ! ” exclaimed Doro- 
thy, and she got into the jar which held her nicely 
and away she went with the bronze woman. 

Her head came up to the top of the jar and 
she could look up at the stars and moon and 
wondered if she were going up to them. 

But they did not seem to be going towards 
the sky as they passed along through the air. 
After awhile it grew so very dark that Dorothy 
could not see where she was going. However, 
she was not at all afraid, as she was safe in the 
brown jar, and enjoyed the queer ride very much. 
It seemed aVery longtime to her before it grew 
light again, but at last it was brighter, and the 
bronze woman stopped and sat down on the 
ground. 


44 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“Now, little girl,” said the bronze woman, 
“ you may run about and play, while I go for 
the water.” 

Dorothy was very glad to come out of the 
jar, because her legs were a little cramped. 
For several minutes she ran about, jumping and 
skipping to limber them up. At last she stopped 
and found herself on the bank of a very wide 
river. There was something that looked like a 
great black fish on top of the water, and Dorothy 
going nearer, saw that it was a crocodile. She 
had a picture of it at home, and papa had told 
her all about it. 

While she was looking, a great many croco- 
diles, large and small, appeared on the surface 
of the water, and then came to the bank and sat 
in a row. Dorothy hid behind a small tree and 
watched them, and very soon more crocodiles 
came out of the water. Last of all, a long 
crocodile appeared, and he took a seat facing all 
the others. 


THE BRONZE WOMAN. 


45 


“Why, it looks just like a school,” said 
Dorothy to herself, and in a few minutes she 
saw that it really was a school. 

“ It seems so funny to see crocodiles at 
school,” said the little girl, and she crept softly 
a little nearer. One large crocodile sat apart from 
the others with a great dunce-cap on his head. 

Suddenly the teacher opened a book and said 
to the first crocodile, “ Spell your name.” 

“ C-r-o-c-k-o-d-i-l-e,” spelled the crocodile who 
sat in the No. 1 seat. 

“Wrong,” said the teacher. “Who can spell 
it?” 

“ I can,” said Dorothy, jumping up from her 
hiding-place. She forgot all about being afraid, 
and stood before the crocodiles and spelled the 
word correctly. It was Dorothy’s pet word and 
she often spelled it for papa. 

“ That is right,” said the teacher, “ and you 
may stand at the head.” 

The poor little crocodile who failed had to 


46 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


go to the foot of the class. He began to cry so 
hard that Dorothy felt very sorry for the poor 
thing and almost wished that she had not taken 
his place, but a great crocodile who stood beside 
her whispered in her ear : 

“ Those are only crocodile tears, you know,” 
and Dorothy felt better. 

“ Now tell me, what is the shape of the earth ? ” 
said the teacher to a small crocodile. 

“ Flat,” was the answer, and the teacher said, 
“ very flat.” 

This did not seem just right to Dorothy’, and 
she was trying to think where she had heard 
that the earth is round. All at once it came to 
her mind that mamma had told her. 

“The earth is round like an orange,” said 
Dorothy, jumping out of her place. 

“ It isn’t,” shouted a great fat crocodile, “ the 
earth is flat and I’ll prove it.” 

When he stood the whole school groaned, 
and the teacher said : “ Sit down,” in a terrible 


THE BRONZE WOMAN. 


47 


voice. Somebody tried to pull tbe fat crocodile 
down in his seat, and several mud-balls were 
thrown at him. There was a great uproar for 
several minutes, and the teacher jumped up 
calling “ order.” 

“ What a very unruly school,” thought 
Dorothy, and just then the teacher turned to 
her and said : 

“ How much are five and five ? ” 

“Five and five are ten,” answered Dorothy 
promptly. 

“ Wrong,” said the teacher ; “ next.” 

But before the crocodile could answer, Dorothy 
said in great excitement : 

“If you please, Miss Crocodile, five and five 
are ten, because five and five couldn’t be any- 
thing else, you know.” 

Then all the crocodiles giggled and the 
teacher looked very cross. But Dorothy stood 
very straight and said : 

“Just look at my fingers,” holding up her 


48 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


dear little hands. “ I have five fingers on this 
hand, and five on the other, and now I’ll count 
them.” She did it very nicely, and then said : 
“ Now, don’t you see that five and five are ten ?” 

“ But, little girl,” replied the crocodile teacher 
in a very solemn voice, 44 perhaps to boys and 
girls, five and five make ten, but to crocodiles 
five and five make ” 

44 Trouble ,” shouted the crocodile with the 
dunce-cap on, who had been watching some- 
thing else all the time. 

At this word the whole school darted into 
the river, and not a trace of them could be seen. 
Dorothy looked around to see if she could find 
the cause of their hasty flight, and she beheld 
five little brown men, with long spears, dancing 
in the moonlight. Behind them came five 
others, and they all danced up to the edge of 
the river, waving their spears over their heads. 
Suddenly they stopped, and looking into the 
water gave a deep grunt saying : 


THE BRONZE WOMAN. 


49 


“ They have gone again.” 

Dorothy kept very quiet, and the little brown 
men did not seem to notice her at all. After 
a while they danced away and were soon out 
of sight. 

No sooner had the little men disappeared 
than Dorothy heard a great noise, and almost 
immediately a baby elephant came running up 
to her. He stared at Dorothy and began 
crying “ boo-ho-o-oo ! ” in a most heart-rending 
manner. Dorothy sat on the ground, and tuck- 
ing her night-dress under her toes, said : “ What 
are you crying for ? ” 

“ I’ve lost my mamma,” cried the elephant 
louder than ever. 

u You’re a big baby,” said Dorothy scornfully. 

a What do you mean ? ” roared the elephant 
in a very angry voice. 

“ I mean you’re the largest baby I’ve ever 
seen,” answered Dorothy, smiling. 

“Say what you mean,” said the elephant 
4 


50 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


gruffly. Dorothy did not like to see anybody 
crying, not even a baby elephant, so she tried to 
talk to him. 

“Excuse me,” said Dorothy, “but haven’t I 
seen you before — at the circus, you know.” She 
regretted the words as soon as spoken, because 
the elephant set up such a terrible roar and 
cried louder than ever. 

“You never saw me at the circus,” he cried 
between sobs and boo-hoos, “ it was my 
brother.” 

“Well, never mind,” replied Dorothy cheer- 
fully ; “ all babies, I mean elephants, look alike 
to me.” 

Just then another elephant came along and 
Dorothy was glad to see that he was laughing. 
He stood right beside the crying elephant and 
he laughed so heartily that his sides shook. It 
was a very funny sight. Dorothy did not 
know just what to do, so she remained perfectly 
quiet and looked at them, 


THE BRONZE WOMAN. 


51 


After a while the laughing elephant stopped 
a minute and making a very funny face, he said 
to the crying elephant : 

“ Tan’t oo find oo mammer ? ” Then he gave 
Dorothy a very naughty wink and laughed 
again. Dorothy could not help smiling at him. 
Suddenly he rolled on his back and the crying 
elephant ran away as fast as he could. Dorothy 
was very glad when he had gone and hoped he 
w T ould find his mamma. 

However, she was so very much interested in 
the funny elephant that she forgot about the 
other. The good-natured elephant did all kinds 
of wonderful tricks for her, laughing all the 
time. He stood on his head and put his hind 
feet right up in the air. Dorothy clapped her 
hands, and asked the elephant to do it again. 

All at once he caught the little girl in his 
trunk and placed her carefully on his back. 
They trotted around and Dorothy had a splendid 
ride. Then he put her on the ground and 


52 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


tramped away. u O do come back ! ” she called 
after him, but just then the bronze woman with 
her jar appeared. “ Did you get the water ? ” 
asked Dorothy. 

u Yes, my child, and I carried it to my master’s 
house, now you must go home.” Dorothy got 
snugly into the jar again and the woman placed 
it on her head. Away they went through the 
still air towards home, and when they reached 
it the bronze woman tucked Dorothy in her 
little bed and left her. 


CHAPTER Y. 


THE FAIRY BELL. 

HERE was a pretty little silver 
bell on papa’s desk, but the chil- 
dren never knew that it was a fairy 
bell until one summer afternoon. 
It all happened in this way. They had been 
playing school and Dorothy was the teacher. 
She said: — 

“ When I ring this bell once you must sit up 

straight and when I ring it twice you must 

stand ! ” They played all the afternoon, and 

the teacher romped with the pupil and they 

both rang the bell until they were tired of it. 

All at once, as they sat in the great leather- 

covered chair, the bell began to ring itself, but 

instead of the little tinkle, tinkle, it sounded just 

like joyous wedding-bells. 

The children rubbed their eyes and looked 

at the little silver bell, and there right on the 

53 



54 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


top of it stood a beautiful little fairy with 
silver wings and a dress that shone like silver. 

She smiled at the children and said. “You 
rang for me and I am here.” 

“ Who are you, please ? ” asked Ray. 

“ I am the fairy of the silver bell and my 
name is Tinkle.” 

“ Where do you live ? ” said Dorothy timidly. 

“ I live in Prince Jingle’s country, but when 
anybody rings for me I come to attend.” 

“ How I would love to visit Prince Jingle’s 
country ! ” exclaimed Dorothy. “ Wouldn’t you, 
Ray ? ” 

“Yes, indeed,” replied Ray, “it would be 
fine.” 

“Very well,” said the fairy, “you shall go.” 
Take hold of the tongue of the bell with both 
hands and don’t let go till I tell you.” The 
children did as the fairy told them and in a few 
moments they were moving through the air 
under the silver dome of the bell. 


THE FAIRY BELL. 


55 


“Don’t be afraid, children,” cried the fairy, 
“ I am sitting on the top and will guide you 
safely.” 

“ Thank you,” said Ray, “ what fun this is ! 
Be careful, Dorothy, to hold on tight.” 

All at once they stopped. The children felt 
something hard under their feet, and the fairy 
Tinkle said, “ Come out, children, and go where 
you please.” Then she disappeared and the 
children looked around to see their new sur- 
roundings. 

“ I suppose this is Prince Jingle’s country,” 
said Ray ; “ let us walk through it.” Just as they 
started to walk, they heard the most beautiful 
bells ringing. It was like sweet music and far 
clearer and prettier than any chimes. In a 
short time they came in sight of a beautiful 
silver castle. Silver coaches and carriages were 
standing outside and lovely ladies were walking 
into the castle on the arms of handsome men. 

“We must go in the castle, too,” said Ray. 


56 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


But Dorothy exclaimed, u O dear, I couldn’t, 
because I’m not dressed nice enough.” 

“ Never mind that,” said Ray, “ come along.” 

“ O, no,” cried Dorothy, “ I’m not going, be- 
cause I’ve nothing to wear.” 

“ Bother,” said Ray, “ you girls are always 
saying that; do you ever feel that you are 
dressed nice enough ? ” 

u N-no, I don’t think we ever do ; still, if I 
had on my best dress, I’d go in.” 

u Well, if you won’t come, I’m going alone,” 
returned Ray, and he started off and left Dorothy 
standing there. 

“ O Ray, come back ! come back ! ” called 
Dorothy. “ I’ll go with you.” But Ray was so 
far ahead that he never heard his little cousin 
calling, and the last Dorothy saw of him he was 
just going into the castle. Dorothy felt so 
badly to think that she was left alone she sat 
on the silvery ground and began to cry. Then 
a very queer thing happened. The first tear 


THE FAIRY BELL. 


57 


that rolled down Dorothy’s cheeks congealed 
into a tiny solid silver ball, and fell in her 
lap. 

Dorothy stopped crying and gazed at the 
tear that had become a silver ball. She took 
it up in her hand, and all of a sudden it began 
to grow larger and larger. Then it changed a 
little in shape, and almost before Dorothy knew 
it her silver tear-drop had turned itself into the 
dearest little silver bell you ever saw. 

“ How pretty ! ” exclaimed Dorothy, and she 
rang the tiny bell that had been made from a 
tear-drop in her own blue eye. 

It gave the prettiest little tinkling sound 
in the world and she liked it so well that she 
rang it again and again. 

Suddenly there appeared before Dorothy a 
beautiful fairy in a shimmering gown of silvery 
gray. 

“ I am sorry you had to ring so many times 
for me,” said the fairy, “ but I was busy dress- 


58 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


ing Princess Bell and I could not get here 
sooner.” 

“ I did not ring for you,” answered Dorothy, 
M but I am very glad you came.” 

“ Whenever that bell is rung I come,” said 
the fairy. “Pray tell me what I can do for 
you ? 

The thought struck Dorothy that perhaps the 
fairy could give her something pretty to wear, 
and then she would go into the silver castle. 

“ If you please, good fairy, I would love to 
go to the castle, if you would help me with a 
pretty dress.” 

“ Certainly,” answered the fairy, and she 
touched Dorothy lightly on the shoulder. In- 
stantly Dorothy’s white pinafore changed into 
a silvery robe all spangled and dazzling in its 
beauty. 

Then she touched Dorothy’s anlde ties and 
they became silver slippers with a satin rosette 
on each one. 


THE FAIRY BELL. 


59 


“ O, thank you,” said the happy little girl, 
looking down at her beautiful dress. 

“ You are very welcome,” returned the fairy, 
and then added, “ Shall I call a chariot ? ” 

“ If you please,” said Dorothy, who wasn’t cprite 
sure what it was, but had a strong feeling that 
she wanted it. The fairy blew a tiny silver horn 
and immediately there appeared a silver chariot 
drawn by four silvery white ponies. A coach- 
man and a footman in silver livery attended 
Dorothy, and before she knew it she was sitting 
in the beautiful chariot driving over silvery 
roads. 

She felt so happy that she wanted to sing, but 
just then the chariot stopped at the entrance to 
the silver castle and Dorothy jumped out and 
walked up to the beautiful door. 

When she was inside a scene of fairy splendor 
presented itself to her astonished eyes. Beauti- 
ful ladies — each one a Princess — were dancing 
with brave, handsome men, — each one a Prince, 


60 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


and the music was just like sweet bells, all ring- 
ing in tune. 

Dorothy stood a minute and then the bravest 
Prince in the room came up to her and said : 

“ I am Prince Jingle. May I have the pleasure 
of dancing with the most beautiful guest in my 
castle ? ” 

Dorothy took his arm with one of her most 
winning smiles, and the next minute she 
was dancing around the room with the 
Prince. 

u It’s lovely,” thought Dorothy. “ If only Ray 
could see me now I don’t think he would run 
off and leave me.” 

“I don’t think he would either,” said the 
beautiful Prince. 

u O,” said Dorothy surprised, “ I was only 
thinking — I didn’t speak, you know.” 

“ I know you didn’t speak in words,” answered 
the Prince, w but your face spoke.” 

“ I didn’t know I could speak with my face,” 


THE FAIRY BELL. 


61 


cried Dorothy, smiling to herself, and she 
thought, “ I don’t believe I can, either.” 

“ O, yes, you can,” said the Prince, with a 
merry laugh, and Dorothy blushed to think that 
he knew just what she thought. 

“ I wonder how he can tell what is in my 
mind,” thought Dorothy, but she said nothing. 

“ It’s the easiest thing in the world to tell 
what is in a little girl’s mind,” said the Prince, 
“ you can see it in her face, I tell you.” 

“ Will you please tell me Turn ? ” asked Doro- 
thy, who was very much surprised to find that the 
Prince seemed to know exactly what she was 
thinking about all the time. 

They stopped dancing and the Prince said : 

“ A little girl’s face is a mirror and shows 
all her thoughts.” 

“ I don’t quite understand,” replied Dorothy ; 
“ do you mean that you can tell what kind of 
little girls we are, by our faces ? ” 

“ That is just what I mean,” answered Prince 


02 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

Jingle. u Come with me and I’ll prove it to 
you.” 

“ Dorothy followed the Prince down the long 
hall until he stopped at a door that opened into 
a road. 

u Must you go outside to prove it ? ” asked 
Dorothy, who was loath to leave the beautiful 
castle. 

u Yes, indeed,” said Prince Jingle ; “ we don’t 
have anything like that in our castle.” 

At last the Prince stopped in front of a large 
building. Over the entrance it read in large 
letters 

POUT & CO. 

The Prince rang the bell and after waiting 
quite a long time, a little girl came to the 
door. Before she opened her mouth to speak 
Dorothy thought to herself, “ O dear, what a 
cross little girl, she looks just as if she were 
going to snap at you.” 


THE FAIRY BELL. 


63 


“ How do you do ? ” said tlie Prince politely. 
“ Are your sisters at home ? ” 

“ Don’t know, find out for yourself.” 

Whew ! how she snapped it out and then 
disappeared. 

“ Didn’t you see it in her face before she 
spoke ? ” said the Prince turning to Dorothy. 

“Yes, every word of it,” replied Dorothy, 
and then she thought, “ I don’t want to 
look like that , so I must never be cross and 
snappy.” 

They stepped inside, and the very first thing 
they saw was a little girl standing near a table 
with her head down. 

She looked up a moment, and Dorothy 
thought how pretty she would have been, if 
she didn’t look so sulky. 

“ Good morning, Miss Sulk,” said the Prince, 
but she shrugged her shoulders, hung her head 
lower, and never answered. 

“ Do come away,” cried Dorothy, and in her 


(54 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

mind she said, “ I never want to be like that, 
so I must never , never sulk.” 

“ Just a minute,” said the Prince, u that looks 
like Miss Temper in the garden, we must see her.” 

Dorothy followed the Prince into the garden, 
where a girl was crying and stamping her feet. 

“Oh, such a face,” thought Dorothy, while 
the Prince said : 

“What is the matter, Miss Temper, can I 
help you ? ” 

“No! no! no!” roared the ugly little girl, 
and she stamped harder than ever. Dorothy 
felt ashamed to think that any little girl could 
act so badly, and look so ugly. 

She wanted to run away from the dreadful 
sight, and she cried : 

“ Goodness ! Gracious ! I hope that I will 
never give way to temper, for it would be awful 
to look like that.” 

“ Have you seen enough ? ” asked the Prince. 

“Yes indeed, quite enough,” replied Dorothy. 


THE FAIRY BELL. 


65 


“ I never knew that little girls’ faces showed 
everything.” 

u It is too true,” said Prince Jingle, “ when 
they are cross, and have unkind thoughts, they 
look ugly, and nobody cares to have them around, 
but when they are good and kind, obedient and 
happy, their faces are so beautiful, that every 
one likes to see them.” 

Prince Jingle took Dorothy’s hand, and they 
hurried back to the castle, and in a few minutes 
he brought Dorothy a dish of silvery ice-cream 
and a piece of silver cake. 

Just then Ray appeared with a beautiful 
princess, and they came over to Dorothy and 
sat down. The Prince got some cream and cake 
for them, and Ray exclaimed : 

u O Dorothy, I’ve been to see such an ngly 
boy. His name was Temper, and he had two 
brothers, Sulk and Pout.” 

“ I saw their sisters,” said Dorothy. “ Weren’t 
they homely ? ” 


66 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


w Yes, they were,” said Ray eating the last 
delicious mouthful of his ice-cream. 

I don’t want to hurry you, my dears, said 
Prince Jingle ; “ but don’t you have to catch a 
train or something ? ” 

“ Of course,” answered Ray, u we have to catch 
a bell.” 

Then the children thanked Prince Jingle and 
hurried out of the castle, where they found 
Fairy Tinkle waiting for them, with the little 
silver bell. 

In a few minutes they were swinging through 
the air, holding on to the tongue of the bell. 
All at once, so quick that you could not see it 
done, they found themselves safe in papa’s study 
sitting in the big leather chair. 

The fairy bell was in its old place on the desk, 
but Fairy Tinkle had disappeared. 


CHAPTER YI. 


THE ROSE-JAR BABY. 

HE] ’ose-jar baby had tiny wings, but 
no one had ever seen them while 
he slept on the cover of the rose- 
jar in mamma’s room. One drowsy 
summer day Kay raised the cover from the rose- 
jar. Instantly there was wafted about a faint 
delicious odor and the lovely little baby opened 
his eyes and smiled at Kay. Then he began to 
fly around the room like a great butterfly, indeed 
he was not any larger than one. Kay followed 
him about the room and out into the garden and 
thence down a long path to the edge of the 
woods. 

In this place some very beautiful roses were 
growing and the rose-jar baby flew right into 
the heart of one of them. lie whispered some- 
thing to the rose and all at once out of its very 

center peeped a bright little face. Then other 

67 



68 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


faces appeared, until every rose on tlie bushes 
showed a lovely, smiling countenance. 

“ These are my brothers and sisters,” said the 
rose-jar baby, introducing them to Ray, who was 
delighted to meet them. 

The baby talked with his brothers and sisters 
about many things. They told him about some 
butterflies who had been visiting them that 
morning, and other friends. They spoke about 
the fine weather, and the rose- jar baby said : 

“ I will not stay any longer because I am on 
my way to Glen Fair. I suppose I will see you 
there later.” 

“Yes,” answered all the roses together, “we 
are coming very soon.” 

The baby then started to fly into the woods 
and Ray followed until he began to feel very 
tired. 

“ Will you please rest a moment ? ” said Ray 
to the rose-jar baby, “ and tell me if it is far 
to Glen Fair ” 


THE ROSE-JAR BABY. 


69 


“ It is only a short distance from here,” said 
the baby, “ we will soon be there.” 

“ And what is Glen Fair ? ” asked the little boy. 

“Well, my dear little friend,” said the baby, 
“ Glen Fair is a beautiful place, where all the 
flowers that live about here, and many creatures 
as well, may go to enjoy themselves.” 

“ What do they all do there ? ” asked Ray 
with interest. 

“That you will see for yourself,” was the 
answer. 

“ It seems strange,” continued the child, “ that 
I have never seen it in these woods.” 

“ It is not strange,” said the rose- jar baby, 
“ that you have never seen it. No mortal has 
ever seen it, and yet there is a Glen Fair in every 
bit of woods.” 

“ Why can’t we see it ? ” asked Ray. 

“Because it belongs to the fairies and no 
mortal can And it unless guided there by one of 


us. 


70 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


u You are very kind to guide me,” said Ray, 
and with these words the rose-jar baby continued 
his flight. Ray followed him until he stopped 
at some high rocks. The baby flew right over 
them and Ray was left alone. “ I must climb 
over those rocks,” said Ray to himself, w for that 
must be Glen Fair.” He began to climb with 
hands and feet and was soon on the other side 
safe and sound. He sat on the grass behind a 
rock and as he looked around him, he thought 
Glen Fair was indeed a beautiful place. Ray 
never knew that flowers had such sweet, smiling 
faces. 

There were ever so many buttercups standing 
near him laughing and talking together, their 
faces shining just as if they had been washed 
with soap. A group of daisies near the butter- 
cups looked very neat with white collars around 
their necks. Some beautiful butterflies were in 
a constant flutter of excitement and a row of 
grasshoppers wore tiny spectacles that made 


THE ROSE-JAR BABY. 


71 


them look just like professors. In a few 
moments Ray saw all the brothers and sisters of 
the rose- jar baby coming into Glen Fair, and 
at their head a very large beautiful rose lady. 
All the flowers bowed to her and called her 
queen. A handsome butterfly with a velvet cape 
edged with gold flew to meet her and escorted 
her to a mossy throne. 

When the queen of the roses was seated, 
some bees who had been buzzing around all the 
flowers placed some tiny packages at her feet, 
saying, “ A present of our choicest honey for 
our beautiful queen.” 

“ Thank you, my good friends,” said the queen, 
and bowed her stately head. 

Just then a group of dear little violets in blue 
caps and white aprons, who had kept out of sight 
all the time, stepped forth and spread a white 
cloth on a long table. The queen of the roses 
took her place at the head and all the others sat 
around her. Ray could not see what they had 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


72 

to eat, but lie beard the queen say, “ This dew 
is so refreshing,” and she passed her tiny cup to 
a bluebell to have it filled again. The flowers 
nodded and chatted, and one of them, Jack-in- 
the-pulpit, proposed a toast to the queen. Then 
all the flowers nodded, and somebody called out, 
“ Speech ! ” everybody took it up and said, 
“ Speech, speech ! ” 

Little Jack arose and said : w Ladies and 
gentlemen and my fat friend the bullfrog yon- 
der, this is a very joyous occasion, so let us all 
be jolly, — if there is a croaker here ” (he glanced 
at the bullfrog) “ we hope he may change his 
tune. We shall always do our best to make 
things bright for mortals ; all we ask of them is 
a little consideration and room to grow. AVhen 
we have that — well, my friends, you have only 
to look at our beautiful lady to see the result. 
Ladies and gentlemen, I drink to the Queen of 
the Loses.” 

They all raised their tiny cups and drank 


THE ROSE-JAR BABY. 73 

with nods of approval at little Jack. When 
the spread was over, there was dancing and the 
music was furnished by a band of bullfrogs. 
They played on reeds and wind instruments, 
uniformed in green and yellow. Eay thought 
it was very pretty to see the rose-jar baby danc- 
ing with a tiny humming-bird. After they had 
danced a while some of them began to play 
games. Eay was very much surprised to see 
some squirrels playing at baseball. They used 
a round nut for a ball and a straight twig for a 
bat. What fun they seemed to have ! The 
pitcher did not seem in any hurry to throw the 
ball. He rolled it round and round and then 
over his head and once or twice twisted his 
whole body. Indeed, he had all the airs and 
manners of a professional. At last Eay grew 
impatient and called out from behind the rock, 
“ Play ball ! ” At the same instant the pitcher 
lightly tossed the ball and the gray squirrel at 
the bat knocked it away over some bushes. 


74 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Ray clapped his hands with delight and watched 
the fun for a long time. His attention was then 
attracted to some bullfrogs. Of course they 
were playing leap-frog. That is their national 
game, and Ray laughed aloud when a great fat 
frog would jump over a small one. Some 
spiders were playing tennis over one of their 
own webs, and it was very interesting to watch 
them. Suddenly a jolly circle of little brown 
field-mice scampered to the very rock that was 
hiding Ray. Their eyes twinkled when they 
saw him and they began to play ring-ring-a-ring- 
around, with Ray in the middle. He never en- 
joyed anything so much and clapped his hands 
while they skipped around. All at once they 
began to play tag, scampering everywhere, try- 
ing to catch each other. Ray grew very much 
excited watching them, and at last jumped to 
his feet, saying, “ Catch me, catch me.” Then 
he started to run, with all the little brown field- 
mice after him. They rail over twigs and stones 


THE ROSE-JAR BABY. 


75 


and in and out of winding paths. They passed 
tall pine trees and dodged in among green 
bushes. Kay never knew before that he could 
run so fast, but at last he was out of breath and 
had to stop. 

The mice ran right past him and were soon 
out of sight. Kay looked around and found that 
he was at the edge of the woods quite near 
home. He stretched on the warm grass to rest 
a minute, and while he was looking up at the 
blue sky the rose-jar baby flew over his head 
and straight down the garden path to the house. 
After resting awhile Kay arose and followed, 
singing softly to himself: — 

<( Ring-a-ring-around ! 

A little boy was found 
By some merry field-mice : 

Don’t you think that was nice 
Ring-a-ring-around ! ” 


CHAPTER VII. 


THE DOLL’S PARADISE. 

T was a very wet day and Dorothy 
could not go out, so she went to 
her own little playroom to have a 
good time with her dolls. Susan 
Ida was a large wax doll with black eyes and 
golden hair, that is to say, she had golden hair 
when Santa Claus brought her, but owing to an 
accident this beautiful hair, which should have 
been hanging down her back, was suspended 
from a hook in the closet. 

I am sorry to say Susan Ida was bald. 

Kathleen had once been a handsome china 
doll with black wavy hair parted right in the 
middle, but, alas ! Kathleen was a cripple for 
the rest of her doll existence, having lost both 
legs. 

Dinah was a lovely colored baby, but some- 
how she had lost an arm and had one eye 
76 J 



I 


THE DOLL’S PARADISE. 


77 


knocked out, while Jessop, who was a clown- 
doll with bells in his cap, had a broken nose 
and wore very ragged clothes. Dorothy set 
them all in a row and looked at them with a 
frown on her sunny face. 

“ I’m really ashamed of you all,” said Dorothy, 
u you look so badly with your old torn clothes, 
and I am sure if you did not play so roughly you 
wouldn’t break your noses and things. One 
would think that you were all foot-ball players,” 
she continued. The dolls looked very sorry, 
all except Jessop. He had a smile on his face. 
w You needn’t smile, Jessop,” said Dorothy. 
u As for you, Susan Ida, I’m just going to whip 
you, because you are such a big doll you ought 
to know better,” and she shook her linger at her 
largest dolly. She was just going to take Susan 
Ida across her knee when she heard the queerest 
little “ squeak, squeak,” right behind her. 
Dorothy turned to see who made the sound, 
and just as she did the door of her play-room 


78 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


opened and there stood the dearest little doll 
with coal black curls and coral-pink cheeks. 

All at once the strange doll began to grow 
larger and larger until she towered over every- 
thing in the room and was the greatest doll 
Dorothy had ever seen. Then she did a strange 
thing. She walked slowly to the place where 
Dorothy was sitting. She raised her hands and 
drew them lightly over Dorothy’s face, arms and 
legs, in fact over her entire body, and a most 
wonderful thing happened. Dorothy felt her- 
self becoming hard and rigid in every joint. 
The stranger had turned little Dorothy into a 
wax doll. At first she thought it rather nice 
to be a doll, but when she tried to stand and 
found that she could not she did not like it very 
well. She had also grown very much smaller, 
and was not any larger than one of her own 
dolls, but she knew everything that was going 
on around her. The strange doll, who had done 
such a. wonderful thing to Dorothy, began to 


THE DOLL’S PARADISE. 


T9 

skip around the room and laugh and sing. She 
didn’t seem to be a doll any longer, but was just 
like a little girl. 

Dorothy watched her hopping about. “ O 
dear me,” sighed Dorothy almost in terror, “ I 
do hope she won’t jump on me,” but no sooner 
did the thought come to her, when plump came 
the stranger right on Dorothy’s legs. 

“Well, I declare,” said the strange doll-girl 
lightly, “ you are always getting in my way,” 
and she continued to skip about the room. 

“ O my poor feet ! ” said Dorothy to herself, 
and all at once she saw that both her legs be- 
low the knees had been broken off. “ I wish I 
could scream,” sighed Dorothy, but no matter how 
hard she tried, she could not open her mouth. 

All of a sudden the strange doll -girl stopped 
jumping and said to Dorothy, “You bad doll, 
you’ve lost a leg.” 

Dorothy was just going to say “ Two of them,” 
when she was caught up by the stranger, and 


80 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


got a terrible shaking. Then she fell in a heap 
on the floor, feeling utterly wretched. After 
a while the stranger said, “ Now you must sit 
up and let me braid your hair.” 

Dorothy’s hair hung in soft curls and she did 
not like the idea of having it braided. But of 
course she could not say anything and had to 
submit to another rough handling. This proved 
to be the hardest trial yet, because no sooner 
did the combing begin than the pulling was 
almost unbearable. Suddenly the doll-girl got 
very angry. “ I never saw such snarls,” she 
cried, and caught poor Dorothy by the hair of 
the head and dragged her around the room. In 
a few moments her hair came off and she was 
as bald as Susan Ida. 

“ Alas ! ” said poor little Dorothy, “ I shall 
be lame and bald and nobody cares.” She 
tried to cry, but even that consolation was 
denied her. 

The stranger who had done these dreadful 


THE DOLL’S PARADISE. 


81 


things was looking out of the window, calmly 
watching the rain, when suddenly she turned 
and said, “ Would you like to look out of the 
window, I think it would do you good ? ” She 
took Dorothy by one poor limp arm and 
carried her across the room to the window. 
After she dangled Dorothy a while by one arm 
she raised the window and put her outside in 
the rain, saying, “ Out there you can get cooled 
off.” She skipped around the room again clap- 
ping her hands and having a good time. Poor 
little Dorothy outside the window, as frightened 
as could be, but unable to stir an inch ! 

The rain spattered in her face, and on her 

bald head and in a very short time her dress 

became soaked. Suddenly a great gust of wind 

came around the corner, and before Dorothy 

realized it she was blown from her place and 

down she fell in the garden prone on her face. 

Then she fainted, and did not know anything 

for a long time, 

6 


82 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


When she recovered she was surprised to 
find that she was not in the garden, but in a 
strange beautiful place. It looked the hall of 
a magnificent castle with beautiful pictures and 
elegant surroundings. On a throne, at one end 
of the hall, sat the most beautiful doll in the 
world. She was tall and stately, and in her 
right hand carried a golden wand. 

But the strangest sight of all was a single 
file of dolls, the most wretched, forlorn-looking 
things that Dorothy had ever seen. 

Standing one behind the other the line ex- 
tended from the throne of the beautiful doll 
away down the hall as far as the eye could see. 
Dorothy was the fifth in the line, and she knew 
that she looked as badly as anybody, but as 
she was watching the queen of the dolls she 
forgot about her looks. J ust then the first doll 
in the line limped up to the throne and stood 
before the queen. 

“ My poor subject,” said the queen, in a sweet, 


THE DOLL’S PARADISE. 


83 


gentle voice, “how came thee, who left this 
house bright and beautiful, in this sad plight ? 
Tell thy sad story.” 

“ Alas ! ” said the poor doll, who had only one 
eye, one arm and half a kid leg, “ a little girl, 
who was a most careless mistress, let me fall so 
often that I was completely undone and my 
beauty destroyed.” 

The doll bowed her head and the queen touched 
it with her golden wand, saying : — ■“ Arise, my 
child, and be as perfect as thou should’st,” and im- 
mediately the doll, who had looked so badly be- 
fore, arose whole and beautiful. She bowed low 
to the queen and left the throne. 

Dorothy saw many beautiful dolls, waiting on 
the other side of the hall. They ran up and 
kissed the doll who had been made beautiful 
and she walked away with them. But the 
second doll in the line was already before the 
queen telling her story, and Dorothy listened to 
every word. 


84 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Slie was a china doll and looked something 
like Kathleen ; she said with sobs : 

w At first my mistress was very kind to me. 
She rocked me to sleep every night, dressed. me 
in silken frocks in the afternoon and took me 
out to ride in a beautiful doll’s-carriage. After 
awhile she did not care for me at all, and 
one day when I fell out of the carriage, her 
little dog Fido caught me in his teeth and 
shook me so badly that I never quite recov- 
ered from the shock, in fact I was all broken 
up.” 

Truly it was a sad story and Dorothy felt 
sorry for the poor china doll. The golden wand 
touched her and she became very lovely, and 
went to the other side with her happy com- 
panions. 

Now the third doll in the line was the most 
disreputable-looking one that Dorothy had ever 
seen. She was a wax doll with just one spear 
of hair on the top of her head. Her nose was 


THE DOLL’S PARADISE. 


85 


broken and her front teeth knocked out. She 
did not have on even a doll’s chemise, and worse 
than all there was a great hole in her back. 
Dorothy had been looking at a group of lovely 
dolls at the other side of the hall who were eat- 
ing ice-cream when her attention was called by 
a very familiar name. 

“ I was a beautiful French doll,” said the 
third. “ I had been well educated and people 
said that I knew how to talk, I must admit that 
I was clever and knew when to shut my eyes. 
My name w r as Fanchette” (Dorothy gave a start 
at this name). “ Well,” continued Fanchette, “ to 
make a long story short, bad treatment soon re- 
duced me to my present condition, this dreadful 
hole in my back was made by my cruel little 
mistress, she said she wanted to see what was 
inside of me. After that I was cast aside until 
one day a housemaid, threw me into an ash- 
barrel, which occasioned my death.” 

This story was strangely interesting to 


86 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Dorothy and she watched eagerly to see what 
the doll would be like when the wand touched 
her. Imagine Dorothy’s surprise to see her own 
Fanchette, that Uncle John had brought her 
from Paris a long time ago. Dorothy could 
hardly believe her eyes, but there stood Fan- 
chette as dainty and beautiful as ever. She 
was just going to cry out “ Fanchette,” 
but No. 4 was talking and as she came next 
she was very attentive. No. 4 was a boy doll. 
He wore a worsted jacket and said he was Ger- 
man. He did not have any broken limbs, but 
seemed very much shrunken. He had fallen 
into a tub of water, he said, and had been 
drowned. When the queen touched him he 
went off smiling and happy with some other 
boy dolls. 

Now it was Dorothy’s turn, how she got 
up to the throne she did not know. She 
thought of her poor bald head and her sad ap- 
pearance. 


THE DOLL’S PARADISE. 


87 


“ Excuse me,” said Dorothy, “ I haven’t a leg 
to stand on.” 

The queen smiled sadly at her and then 
arose from the throne tall and beautiful, say- 
ing 

“ I cannot hear any more sad stories to-day, 
but you may all file up and I will make you 
beautiful.” She touched Dorothy lightly on the 
head with the golden wand and the little girl 
became her own dear self again. She felt so 
happy she wanted to jump for very joy. She 
ran off with some beautiful dolls, her brown 
curls brushing her smiling face and her eyes 
sparkling with merriment. Down the beautiful 
hall she tripped and just as she reached the 
door that led into a golden room, she looked 
back. The queen was just in the act of touch- 
ing the last one of the poor broken dolls. 
Dorothy entered the golden room and found 
herself amid a scene of fairy splendor with the 
beautifullest dolls in the world. 


88 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


There were big dolls and little dolls, dolls in 
silks and satins, and sweet tidy dolls in cap and 
apron who were maids to wait upon them. 
Some dainty little dolls were dancing with 
handsome boy-dolls, and others were sitting 
about in groups laughing and talking. Dorothy 
passed through the golden room and out into 
a garden. Here there were more dolls, some 
of them swinging in snug little doll-hammocks, 
others were gathering flowers, and on a fine 
stretch of lawn was the dearest little party 
playing croquet. Dorothy walked through the 
garden and came to a pond. There were pretty 
boats on it and a little doll man, dressed like a 
sailor, stepped up and touched his cap, at the 
same time asking Dorothy if she would take a 
sail. 

“With pleasure, thank you,” answered Doro- 
otliy and she stepped into a boat and began to 
sail around the pond. She was so happy and 
felt so comfortable that she just fell back on the 


THE DOLL’S PARADISE. 


89 


soft cushions of the boat and closed her eyes. 
It was all so soft and dreamy that she drifted 
into a sound sleep. When she awoke where 
do you think she found herself ? 


CHAPTER VIII. 


THE SUGAR-BOWL FAIRY. 

Y was very fond of sugar. Did 
you ever see the boy or girl who 
was not ? One day he wanted a 
lump and asked mamma if he might 
have it. She gave him permission to take just 
one lump, so he raised the cover of the sugar 
bowl and peeped in. 

“ How nice it looks in there,” said Ray, “ I 
wish I could get inside.” 

No sooner did he say the words than he 
began to grow smaller and smaller. He dwin- 
dled down until he was only as large as a lump 
of sugar and he gave a little jump right into the 
sugar bowl. At first it seemed quite dark in there, 
but after a while he grew accustomed to it and 
could see very well. The first thing that sur- 
prised him was the size of the place. He had 
always thought that the inside of a sugar-bowl 



THE SUGAR-BOWL FAIRY. 


91 


was very small in area, but on the contrary it 
“ stretched away into stately halls,” with doors 
and windows and numerous little people like 
himself walking about. Ray sat on a little 
white sofa near a window and a dear little man 
came and sat beside him. 

“ I am the sugar-bowl fairy,” said the little 
man, “ would you like to take a walk through 
the house ? ” 

“ Thank you,” replied Ray, “ what do you do 
all day in the sugar-bowl ? ” 

“ We play and have a good time,” answered 
the little man, “except when the great giant 
comes, then we are all afraid and run to hide.” 

“ Who is this great giafit ? ” asked Ray. 

“ I will tell you a true story about my brother 
and sister and then you will know all about the 
great giant,” said the Sugar-bowl Fairy. 

“My sister’s name was Sweetness and my 
brother’s was Sugar-Boy. One day they were 
put in a large barrel and taken away to the 


92 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


giant’s house. They remained in the barrel for 
several days, when one morning they were 
taken out and put in a beautiful silver sugar 
bowl on the giant’s table. In a few minutes 
the giant sat down to breakfast with his little 
daughter Mabel. 

“ They talked and laughed together, and while 
the little girl drank her bowl of milk the giant 
poured a cup of tea for himself. 

“ ‘ Now,’ whispered Sweetness to my brother, 
“ if he puts us in that cup of tea we must surely 
be drowned.” She trembled and snuggled up 
closer to my brother. 

“ The giant took the silver sugar-tongs and 
looked into the sugar bowl. It was a moment 
of terrible suspense. All at once he caught 
Sweetness and dropped her into his cup of tea. 
The last my brother saw of her she was dissolved 
in tears. And that was the end of my sister 
Sweetness. 

Won’t it be dreadful if he catches me?’ 


THE SUGAR-BOWL FAIRY. 


93 


said my brother, when lo ! the tongs descended 
into the sugar bowl again and this time caught 
Sugar-Boy, but he squirmed himself out and 
rolled down to the very bottom of the bowl 
and the giant took another. 

“ When breakfast was over and the giant and 
his little daughter had risen from the table, she 
whispered something to her father and all at 
once looked into the sugar bowl. Then she put 
her dear little hand inside and caught my 
brother in her rosy finger tips. 

“ 1 There,’ said Mabel, ‘ you’re the nicest look- 
ing lump of sweetness in the sugar bowl and I 
am going to give you to Queen Bess.’ 

“ Sugar-Boy wondered who Queen Bess could 
be, but he did not have much time to think 
because Mabel hurried out of the room and 
ran after her father. They went into a stable 
and Sugar-Boy could hear the tramp of horses. 
At last they stood before a beautiful black horse. 
Mabel took the lump of sugar (which wasn’t a 


94 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


lump of sugar at all, you know, but my dear 
little brother) and held it up to the horse, say- 
ing, 'See, Queen Bess, what I have brought 
you.’ My poor Sugar-Boy trembled with fear 
and thought his end was at hand, but just as 
the horse opened his mouth to swallow him the 
girl let Sugar-Boy fall and down he went into 
a tiny hole where it was very dark. He could 
hear Mabel say, ‘ That is too bad, Queen Bess, 
but I shall get another nice lump for you.’ 

“ ‘ I hope I am safe here ’ said Sugar-Boy, but 
no sooner did he say the words than he saw two 
little bright eyes peering at him. Again his 
heart went pit-a-pat, and in another moment a 
fat brown mouse came over to the dark hole. 
‘This is a very lucky find,’ said the brown 
mouse, ‘ I must take this lump of sugar to my 
mother.’ Sugar-Boy was frightened when the 
brown mouse caught him up carefully and 
started across the barn floor ; and he was 
just beginning to think that this would be the 



Mabel took the lump of sugar, and held it up to the horse, saying, “ See, 
Queen Bess, what I have brought you. ’’—Page 94, Little Miss Dorothy, 




THE SUGAR-BOWL FAIRY. 


95 


last of him, when all at once a gray cat sprang 
out and the mouse dropped Sugar-Boy and ran 
for his life. There was Sugar-Boy in the 
middle of the floor where anybody could step 
on him and crush him to death. 

“ He was feeling very much worried about it 
when suddenly a boy came into the barn. The 
boy walked around whistling a lively tune, and 
all at once picked up Sugar-Boy and put him 
in his pocket. 

“ My brother thought he was safe in the boy’s 
pocket, at least for a while. He found himself 
in the company of a jackknife, ten marbles, two 
rusty nails, a ball of twine, a bent pin, a piece 
of tar, an old butternut and a few other articles 
that I cannot remember. 

u 4 I wonder how many more things are com- 
ing into this pocket,’ said the marbles , 4 we would 
like a little space to roll around.’ Just then 
the boy put his hand into the pocket for the 
jackknife and those selfish marbles pushed 


96 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Sugar-Boy out with the knife and he fell in the 
yard and the boy never knew it. My brother 
found himself beside a small stone, and he soon 
discovered that a certain Mr. Worm lived under 
the stone. 

“ He was very lazy, sleeping most of the time, 
but one day the stone happened to get over- 
turned by a boy, and then Mr. Worm began 
to squirm around at a great rate. Sugar-Boy 
watched him until a dozen little sparrows began 
to chirp around him, and in a remarkably short 
time they had made a meal of Mr. Worm. But 
they had also seen Sugar-Boy, and as soon as 
they had eaten Mr. Worm they tried a peck at 
Sugar-Boy. 

“They made a great fuss and scolded each 
other because they could not carry Sugar-Boy, 
he was so heavy. In the height of the excite- 
ment a great black crow flew into the midst of 
the sparrows, and, taking Sugar-Boy in her beak, 
flew far away. Deep into the woods went the 


THE SUGAR-BOWL FAIRY. 


97 


crow and perched on a high tree, and in another 
minute Sugar-Boy was in a nice warm nest with 
some little baby crows. They opened their 
mouths very wide and the mother crow began 
to feed them. She tried a peck at Sugar-Boy’s 
coat and he felt very badly about it. After a 
while she caught him up and one of the babies 
tried to take a little peck. It pleased the mother 
crow so much to see such a smart baby that she 
wanted to kiss the little mouth. She loosened 
her hold on Sugar-Boy and before she could catch 
him he had fallen from the nest in the high tree- 
top down to the path in the woods. He was 
there quite a long time when two girls came 
along gathering wood for their mother’s fire. 

“ 1 O, see,’ cried one of the girls, ‘ I have found 
a lump of sugar ! 4 I’m going to take it home to 

Gretchen ! ’ 

u She put Sugar-Boy in the basket with her 
twigs and sticks and he was carried safely 

through the woods to their mother’s cottage. A 

7 


98 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


plump little maid with two long braids of golden 
hair came running to meet the girls who had 
been gathering sticks. 

44 4 See what I found for thee, Gretchen,’ said 
one of the girls, holding up Sugar-Boy. Gretchen 
took him in her little fat hands and cried : 

44 4 Ach ! it is mine sugar.’ 

44 4 The fairies put it in the woods for thee, 
Gretchen,’ said her sister; 4 take it and run 
away.’ 

44 Gretchen ran away with Sugar- Boy, and sat 
in her little garden. 

44 4 If it is a fairy lump I will plant it,’ said 
the child, 4 and then a fairy tree will grow with 
lumps of sugar.’ 

44 She dug a tiny hole with her hands and 
placed my brother in it, covering him over with 
the soft earth. Then she watered her new bed 
and went away to tell about her fairy sugar 
tree. 

44 Now it so happened that not far from the 


THE SUGAR-BOWL FAIRY. 


99 


spot where Sugar-Boy was planted lived a colony 
of ants. One long-legged fellow chanced to 
see Gretchen dispose of a nice lump of sugar 
and he ran to the hill where the queen of the 
ants lived and told her about it. 

u She sent an army of faithful ants at once, 
and Sugar-Boy was removed little by little to 
the queen’s palace. 

“Then the queen decided to give a grand 

* 

party, inviting all her sisters, cousins and ants 
and in a short time the long-legged fellow was 
despatched with written invitations that read as 
follows : 

“ L The queen invites you to be present at a 
grand dinner party, given in the courtyard of 
the imperial palace (Ant Hill — southwest) on 
Monday at Ten A. M.’ 

“ There was great excitement among the ants 
when they learned about the party and they 
vied with each other in their efforts to thank 
the queen. When the morning of the party ar- 

LOF (X 


100 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


rived you might have seen swarms of ants hurry- 
ing to the palace on Ant Hill. 

u Of course they all had a splendid time at the 
party and they actually devoured Sugar-Boy.” 

The Sugar-bowl Fairy, who had been telling 
this story, stopped suddenly and Bay asked, “ Is 
that all ? ” 

“ No, that is not the end,” replied the fairy, 
“ but I hear your mamma calling you.” He raised 
the cover of the sugar bowl and Bay climbed 
out. 

As soon as he was outside he began to grow 
to his normal size and he ran to mamma and 
told her all about his adventure inside the sugar- 
bowl. 


CHAPTER IX. 


A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND. 

NE afternoon Mrs. Fussy, who 
lived next door, came to call on 
Dorothy’s mamma. When they 
had exchanged greetings Mrs. 
Fussy exclaimed : 

“ Dear, dear, what shall I do ! Cook has left 
me without a moment’s notice — the third this 
month. It is really discouraging.” 

Dorothy was drinking in every word that fell 
from the visitor’s lips, and mamma said, “ Run 
away, dear, and play with your dolls.” 

Dorothy ran to her play-room and took down 
all her dolls and toys to have a real good time. 
She decided to play house, so she said, “ Now I’m 
going to be Mrs. Fussy.” 

She gazed earnestly at her dolls and sighed, 
u Dear, dear, what shall I do ! Cook has left 
without a moment’s notice — the third this month. 
It is really ’raging.” 



101 


102 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Suddenly all the dolls jumped up and began 
to roll up their sleeves. 

“We’ll help,” they cried, and Dorothy was so 
surprised that she could not speak for a minute. 

“ I’m glad you are so willing,” said the little 
girl at last. u Suppose you go into the kitchen 
and cook the dinner, Dinah.” 

“ Yeth, ma’am,” replied Dinah with a sweep- 
ing bow and hurriedly left the room. 

“ Susan Ida may go into the laundry and 
iron, while you , Kathleen, had better dust the 
hall.” 

“ What shall / do ? ” asked Jessop with his 
usual grin, and his little mistress told him to 
make himself generally useful. 

When they had gone to do their work 
Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief and said, u I 
think I’ll rest a minute.” She took out her 
Mother Goose and was so very much interested 
in Little Bo-Peep that she did not notice any- 
thing going on around her. But when she 


A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND. 1()3 

raised her eyes from her book she was surprised 
to find herself quite alone. 

“Why, where are all my toys?” exclaimed 
Dorothy. “ I sent the dolls to work, but those 
naughty toys had no business to leave this 
room.” 

Then she decided to go into the kitchen and 
see how Dinah was getting along with the 
dinner. She tripped down-stairs and the minute 
she opened the kitchen door there was a strong 
odor of something burning. But worse than 
that, there stood her tin soldier with his arm 
around Dinah’s waist. Dorothy ran for the tin 
soldier, but he dodged her and jumped out of 
the window. Dinah threw back her head and 
began to swing a soup ladle, while her indig- 
nant little mistress exclaimed, “ I’m ashamed of 
you, Dinah, and you can go to your room at 
once.” Dinah sulked out of the kitchen and 
Dorothy took up the burned potatoes. 

“ Now I’m going to give Dinah a good whip- 


104 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

ping,” said Dorothy ; but the minute she opened 
the kitchen door she heard loud voices on the 
stairs. Hurrying to the spot, there stood 
Kathleen (her quiet, gentle Kathleen) brandish- 
ing a feather duster in the most threatening 
manner at Jessop. 

Dorothy was astonished. “ Why, Kathleen,” 
she cried, “ what is the matter ? ” 

“ Well, he isn’t going to call me doll-faced,” 
said Kathleen, looking very angry at Jessop. 

“ She said I was a clown,” shouted Jessop, 
“ and I won’t stand it.” 

“ Go to your room both of you ; not another 
word,” exclaimed Dorothy shaking her linger at 
Kathleen, who walked off with her head in the 
air. 

“Well, I declare,” sighed the mistress, “I 
wonder what will happen next ! ” She started 
for the laundry to see how Susan Ida was get- 
ting along, and found her crying bitterly and no 
work done. 


A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND. 105 

“ "Why, Susan Ida, what have you been doing 
all this time ? ” 

“ Nothing, ma’am,” was the answer. “ It’s all 
his fault. Boo-hoo-o ! ” and she pointed to 
Dorothy’s toy rooster, who was calmly standing 
on the table watching them. 

“ What are you doing here, Dick ? ” asked 
Dorothy, turning to the rooster ; “ the idea of 
coming into the laundry ! ” 

“ He came to crow oyer me, ma’am,” exclaimed 
Susan Ida between her sobs. 

“ I don’t care,” cried Dick ; “ she said she’d 
take my head off.” 

u Get out both of you,” and Dorothy made a 
rush for the bad toys, but they nearly fell over 
each other in their efforts to get out of the 
kitchen. 

“ I’ll go up-stairs and give them a good whip- 
ping and put them to bed,” said Dorothy ; but 
when she reached the stairs she stopped in 
amazement. There was Toto her toy monkey 


106 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


sliding down the banister, while her toy puppy 
barked with all his might. A toy broom was 
whacking the stairs at a grinning Jack-in-the- 
box, who was trying to stand on his head. 

“ Toto,” cried Dorothy, and she was just 
going to catch him, when her toy cat flew past 
chasing the toy mouse. 

“ Goodness ! he must not catch my mouse,” 
cried Dorothy, and she caught up the toy broom 
and hurried after the toy cat. The toy puppy 
and the monkey followed, and the Jack came 
out of his box and joined in the chase. Across 
the hall they flew, and as the door happened to 
be opened, down the steps and into the yard. 
It was the strangest race you ever saw, and as 
they ran through the street people came to the 
windows and shouted at them. A great many 
soldiers left their barracks in the toy shops and 
hurried after the procession. 

On and on they ran through the street, into 
another, across vacant lots, over stones and 


A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND. 


107 


hedges, through the green fields, up the hills, 
down the lanes, and never stopped until they 
came to Toy -land. 

The minute they got there the mouse was 
still, the cat curled himself like a ball and went 
to sleep, the puppy stretched out and began to 
snore, the Jack-in-the-box remained perfectly 
quiet, and the monkey sat upright and scratched 
his head. 

Dorothy sank into a toy chair exclaiming, 
“ Such an exciting race I never had in my 
life.” 

“You must be tired,” said a voice at her 
elbow, and Dorothy turned and there stood 
Little Bo-Peep. 

“ How do you do ? ” said Dorothy. “ Have 
you found the sheep that were lost ? ” 

“ Not yet,” replied Bo-Peep, “ but I am looking 
for them.” 

“I will help you,” cried Dorothy, and she 
jumped up and taking Little Bo-Peep’s hand 


108 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


walked all over Toy-land looking for the lost 
sheep. Suddenly they met the old woman who 
lived in a shoe with her whole brood of children 
hurrying along. 

“ Whither away so fast, good woman ? ” asked 
Dorothy. 

“ To the grand parade, my dear,” was the 
answer, while Little Bo-peep exclaimed, “ Sure 
enough, it is the first of April, the birthday of 
our dear Mother Goose, you know.” 

“Let us go too,” cried Dorothy, and they 
hurried after the old woman. 

They passed Little Boy Blue fast asleep 
under a hay -mow, but Bo-Peep gave him a little 
shake and he awoke and followed them. 

They reached a bridge just in time to see 
Mother Goose and all her followers passing 
along. All Toy-land clapped and shouted ; and 
what with dogs barking and cocks crowing 
there was a merry time. 

Dorothy was delighted, and the ' toy soldiers 


A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND. 109 

who marched in the procession were straighter 
than any real soldiers that she had ever seen. 

“ What beautiful times you have in Toy- 
land ! ” exclaimed Dorothy. 

But Bo-Peep did not answer, she was looking 
at the end of the procession. 

“ There they are now ! ” she cried, and Doro- 
thy saw the lost sheep following the crowd. 
u I must hide,” said Bo-Peep and she tried to 
stand behind Dorothy, but the sheep spied their 
little friend and they all ran to her and began 
to frisk about. It made Dorothy laugh to see 
them, but when a great black sheep tried to 
stand on his head Dorothy was afraid and ran 
away. 

She tripped over the fields until she came to 
the village green where she found Mother Goose 
and the whole procession resting. 

As she approached, Dorothy saw that they 
were all watching something in the center of 
the green. She turned to Simple Simon who 


110 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


was standing near, and asked him what they 
were all waiting for. 

“To see the cow jump over the moon, of 
course,” replied Simple Simon, grinning at 
Dorothy. 

Just then the cow rose in the air and gave a 
great jump to the sky and right over the moon. 
Everybody laughed, even Dorothy’s little toy 
dog ; and Simple Simon rolled on the grass, he 
thought it was so funny. 

Dorothy ran off laughing and turned into a 
street that was called Doll Avenue. Beautiful 
doll houses lined both sides of the street, and 
Dorothy met several lovely dolls who were out 
taking an airing. All at once Dorothy came to 
the end of Doll Avenue and found a pond 
where toy swans were sailing around. The 
dearest little doll that Dorothy had ever seen 
was all alone, throwing pebbles into the pond. 

“ What is your name, dear ? ” asked Dorothy, 
walking up to the doll. 


A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND. m 

“ My name is Rosy,” said the doll ; and Dor- 
othy exclaimed, “ O, you are just lovely, I’d like 
to take you home with me ! ” 

“ I can go with you,” replied Rosy, “ if you 
don’t step on dirt.” 

“ Good,” cried Dorothy, clapping her hands. 
“I know wdiat you mean. You must step 
on stones, if you walk on the earth you’re 
poisoned. I’ve played that game very often.” 

Dorothy took Rosy in her arms and started 
to walk home. 

u You shall be my best doll,” whispered Doro- 
thy, “ and I’ll make you a lovely silk dress.” She 
crossed and recrossed stones and rocks, being 
careful not to touch the ground. She was get- 
ting along nicely when all at once she tripped 
and her feet touched the earth. In a second 
Rosy was on the ground running away from her 
as fast as she could. 

“ Come back, come back,” shouted Dorothy ; 
but Rosy only ran the faster, 


112 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Dorothy started after the lovely little doll, 
but all at once she was stopped by a great toy 
policeman. 

“ What is the matter ? ” asked he of the blue 
coat and brass buttons. 

“ I want to catch that doll.. O, please let me 
get her,” said Dorothy. 

“ Does she belong to you ? ” shouted the 
policeman in a gruff voice. 

“ N-no, not exactly ; that is, — said Dorothy, 
beginning to explain. 

But the policeman looked very angry and 
said, “ I arrest you for trying to take something 
that does not belong to you.” 

u But please, Mr. Policeman, I didn’t know I 
was doing wrong,” sobbed Dorothy. 

“ Neither did I,” roared the policeman. 

u But I never was arrested before,” cried 
Dorothy. 

“ That isn’t my fault,” said the police- 


man, 


A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND. 113 

Just then Little Bo-Peep came along with all 
her sheep. 

u Why, what is the trouble?” asked Little 
Bo-Peep, looking from Dorothy to the toy police- 
man. 

u He’s going to arrest me,” answered Dor- 
othy. 

“ You mustn’t do that,” cried Bo-Peep ; “ she’s 
a friend of mine.” 

“ But she was breaking the law,” said the 
policeman. 

u That’s too bad,” whispered Bo-Peep, putting 
her arm around Dorothy’s neck. 

u You know, dear, that you can break every- 
thing in Toy-land except the law.” 

“ However,” she continued, u as you are a 
visitor you cannot be arrested. 

“I think I had better go home now,” said 
Dorothy, “ I wonder where all my animals are ? ” 

u I’ll blow my whistle,” said the policeman, 

u and they will come.” 

8 


114 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


No sooner did the whistle sound than all her 
animals appeared. 

The policeman locked them up in Noah’s Ark, 
but Dorothy stepped into a train of toy cars and 
was soon safe home. 


CHAPTER X. 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 

NE summer Ray went to the coun- 
try to visit Uncle Josiah. At first 
he was so much interested in 
everything around the farm that 
he did not find time to take any walks in the 
pleasant fields and woods. 

He liked to watch the busy hens and the 
downy little chicks. Every day he talked to a 
dear little bossy calf that had great soft velvety 
eyes. But after a while, when he had become 
well acquainted with the plump little rabbits 
and Bonnie Bess, a good old horse, he started in 
to see some of the pretty places around him. 
Not far from the house was a long shady lane 
path called “Lovers 7 Lane,” and one summer 
afternoon Ray found himself sitting on the grass 
in Lovers 7 Lane with his back against a large 
rock. It was a very warm day and Ray felt so 



116 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


sleepy that his eyes began to close in spite of 
himself. 

Suddenly something tickled his nose and he 
brushed it away. He closed his eyes again to 
have a little nap when something tickled his ear 
and he quickly brushed that off. Once more 
he settled for a sleep when a very pronounced 
tickling at his neck made him jump to his feet. 

“ I wonder what is tickling me so ? ” exclaimed 
Ray, looking around. 

All at once he caught sight of a little man so 
tiny that you could have taken him up and put 
him in your pocket. He stood right on the top 
of the rock and as his clothes were just the color 
of it, you could not see him unless you looked 
sharp. But there stood the tiny little fellow 
with his hands in his pockets, his legs far apart 
and a broad smile on his face as he winked at 
Ray. 

“ Did you tickle me when I was trying to go 
to sleep \ ” asked Ray. 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 


117 


The grin on the face of the little man broad- 
ened and he began to shake all over, he laughed 
so heartily. 

“ Excuse me,” he said ; “ I was only putting in 
my winter coal.” 

Ray was greatly surprised, he didn’t know 
just what to think of the little fellow. He 
thought he had better introduce himself, so he 
said, 

“ My name is Kay, and I live in that white 
house with Uncle Josiali and Aunt Prudence.” 

“ My name is Pebble and I live in this brown 
rock with Mrs. Pebble and all the little Peb- 
bles,” said the tiny man, laughing harder than 
ever. 

In fact he laughed so heartily that he began 
to slap his knee w r ith his little fat hands. Ray 
laughed too and slapped his knee and shook all 
over like the little man. Every now and then 
in the midst of the laughter Mr. Pebble would 
catch something that flashed like sunbeams in 


118 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


his hand, but he did it so quickly that Ray 
could not make out just what he was doing. 

“ It’s really very funny,” said Ray ; u but I’m 
not laughing at you, Mr. Pebble.” 

“ I’m not laughing at you,” returned little Mr. 
Pebble. 

“ What are you laughing at, may I ask ? ” said 
Ray politely. 

“ This is my busy season,” replied the little 
fellow ; “ that is why I laugh.” 

Ray did not quite understand, but thinking 
he would find out later on in the conversation 
asked, “ Did you say you lived inside this rock ? ” 

u Yes, my boy, that is where we live.” 

“ Isn’t that strange ? ” murmured Ray to him- 
self. 

u Not at all,” replied Mr. Pebble, u my family 
— that is the entire Pebble branch — ahvays live 
in rocks.” 

“ I’d like to see the inside of your house,” 
exclaimed Ray. 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 


119 


“Well, come home to dinner with me,” said 
Mr. Pebble, and he gave three little taps on the 
rock. 

All at once it opened and before Ray knew 
it he was inside. A tiny fat woman with a crowd 
of children tugging at her skirts, came up and 
greeted Mr. Pebble. The little Pebbles skipped 
and hopped about, cutting up all sorts of capers. 
It was all so funny that Ray was laughing all 
the time and Mr. and Mrs. Pebble and all the 
little Pebbles laughed too. 

“ How about the coal, my dear,” said Mrs. Peb- 
ble suddenly ; u did you get any this morning ? ” 

“ Oh, yes,” replied her husband, u I have 
been very busy.” 

“Well, I hope you will get a good supply, 
because I think it is going to be a hard winter. 
Don’t you think so, Ray \ ” 

U I don’t see what you want coal for,” said 
Ray ; u inside a big rock I should think it would 
be nice and warm.” 


120 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


u So it would be, my dear,” returned Mrs. 
Pebble ; “ but there are two great cracks in this 
house and they let in all the cold air. Why, 
last winter Tommy Pebble had the measles.” 

u Which is Tommy ? ” asked Ray, looking 
around at the brood of Pebbles. 

u I’m Tommy,” shouted a pompous little 
fellow standing on his tiptoes and throwing out 
his chest. 

“ Well, you needn’t feel so stiff about it,” said 
Ray, u you’re not the only Pebble ; whereupon 
Mr. and Mrs. Pebble and all the children except 
Tommy roared with laughter. 

Suddenly Ray noticed a coal-bin in one 
corner of the house, and taking up a piece he 
cried, “ What queer-looking coal, it doesn’t look 
like the kind we use.” 

“ It’s not the same kind, you know,” said Mr. 
Pebble ; “ my coal is made from laughter.” 

“ How funny ! ” exclaimed Ray. u I don’t 
quite understand.” 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 


121 


“ Well,” said Mr. Pebble, “ if there is any 
laughter going around I catch it and turn it 
into coal. I’ll throw a piece into my fire and 
you will see what I mean.” 

The coal burned with a blue flame, and all at 
once Pay could see in the midst of the flame his 
Uncle Josiah holding a horse and talking to a 
strange farmer as plainly as if they were stand- 
ing before him. 

Suddenly the farmer led the horse away and 
when they were out of sight Ray could hear 
his uncle laugh — 

“ Haw, haw ! haw, haw, haw ! 

Best trade I ever saw ! 

Haw, haw, haw, haw ! ” 

Ray laughed aloud, although he really didn’t 
know why, and all the Pebbles shook with 
laughter. 

“ Did my uncle sell that horse to the farmer ? ” 
asked Ray. 

“ Yes,” said Mr. Pebble, “ the bargain was 


m 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


made sitting on this rock and I got in a good 
load of coal that day.” 

“ But I don’t see anything to laugh about in 
that,” exclaimed Bay. 

“ The farmer that got the horse didn’t either,” 
cried Mr. Pebble. 

Bay was puzzled, but he took up another 
piece of coal and threw it on the fire. It burned 
with a beautiful rose-colored flame, and Bay 
could see two lovers sitting on the rock looking 
into each other’s eyes. 

Suddenly he heard a giggle and then : 

“ He, he, ha, ha, ha ! You are, you know you 
are!” 

Bay was laughing again. “ What does it all 
mean ? ” he asked. 

“ I’m sure I don’t know,” said Mr. Pebble, 
who was almost doubled in two laughing. 

“ They came here last summer a great deal,” 
continued the little fellow. “ They’re married 
now and live in the village. I don’t see them so 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 

often, but there are others, and I must say they 
belong to one of the best sources of my coal 
supply in the world.” 

“ Try this one,” said Ray, and he threw a 
piece of coal on the fire that burned with the 
most beautiful flame of all. A group of merry 
children were playing together in the bright 
flame, and their laughter was like sweet 
music. 

u What good times they are having ! ” said 
Ray, and Mr. Pebble cried : 

“ Yes, indeed, I love little children, and would 
rather hear their laughter than any other sound 
in the w r orld.” 

“ Is that why you tickled me ? ” questioned 
Ray, and the little man replied : 

“ Well, of course, it’s my business to make 
people laugh. I was looking out for some more 
coal, you know.” 

“ You certainly have a very large family to 
keep warm,” remarked Ray. 


124 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

“ Yes,” answered Mr. Pebble, “ and it grows 
larger every year, and more than all, Tommy is 
a great care.” 

“ Is he mischievous ? ” said Ray. 

“ O, very,” replied the happy father. “ I won- 
der what he is doing now. Tommy, Tommy,” 
called his father, “ where are you ? ” but Tommy 
did not answer, and his numerous brothers 
and sisters could not find him. 

“ I think I had better go now,” said Ray, “ I’ll 
stay to dinner some other day.” 

“ We’re going to have pudding,” cried one of 
the tiniest Pebbles, but Ray was afraid Aunt 
Prudence would think he was lost, so he said 
good-by to the funny Pebbles and quietly left 
the rock. When he was outside on his way 
to the farmhouse he happened to put his hand in 
his pocket and there sat Tommy Pebble as com- 
fortable as possible. 

“Why, Tommy, how did you get into my 
pocket ? ” cried Ray. 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 


125 


“Jumped in, when you weren’t looking,” re- 
plied the little fellow. 

w But what will your father say ? ” exclaimed 
Ray ; u they were all looking for you in the 
rock.” 

u O, I’v.e taken little trips before,” said 
Tommy, “ and when I come back my papa al- 
ways says to me, ‘ Tommy, a rolling stone gathers 
no moss.’ ” 

Ray laughed because he seemed such a mis- 
chievous little fellow, and as for Tommy he 
rolled all around the pocket in his mirth. 

“ I don’t think you ought to leave your home,” 
said Ray, but Tommy replied quickly : 

“ I want to see the world, and I never had a 
better chance than to travel in a boy’s pocket.” 

“Well, if you are very quiet and don’t get 
into mischief, I’ll let you stay for a while.” 

Ray returned to the house with Tommy 
Pebble safe in his pocket, and just then Aunt 
Prudence called him to dinner. 


126 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


When Ray was sitting at the table he was 
going to tell about his adventure with the Laugh- 
ing Rock when he felt something in his mouth. 
He was eating some jam, and imagine his sur- 
prise to find that Tommy Pebble had got into 
the jam and was walking around the roof of 
his mouth. Ray removed Tommy as quickly 
and quietly as possible to his pocket and ate 
the rest of his dinner in silence. 

“Now, look here, Tommy,” said Ray after 
dinner, “ don’t you ever get into the jam again, 
it’s not nice at all.” Tommy began to laugh 
and shake his fat little body. But he promised 
to be more careful in the future. After a while 
Ray thought he would go to the barn, but the 
minute he started something tickled the sole of 
his right foot. He sat right down on the grass 
and took off his shoe, and there was Tommy 
Pebble in his stocking grinning at him. 

“ O, you rogue ! ” cried Ray. “ How did you 
ever get down there ? ” but Tommy only laughed 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 


127 


while Ray put him in his pocket again. Tommy 
was quiet for a long time, and it was not till 
bedtime that Ray remembered his existence. 
When Ray was in bed and his Auntie had said 
good night, he felt something between the sheets 
that wiggled around his toes. 

“ Is that you, Tommy Pebble ? ” asked Ray, 
but there was only the sound of laughing and 
Ray knew that Tommy was up to his old tricks 
again. 

Ray squirmed himself down to the foot of the 
bed and caught Tommy Pebble. 

CL I’ve a great mind to throw you out of the 
window,” said Ray. 

“ Do,” pleaded Tommy, “ I like to be out after 
dark.” 

Ray caught the little fellow up between his 
thumb and finger and tossed him lightly out 
of the window. As Tommy was a Pebble of 
course it did not hurt him. Ray turned over 
and tried to go to sleep, but it was impossible, 


128 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


as Tommy was knocking on the window pane 
for him. 

“ Come out, come out, Ray,” cried Tommy, 
u there’s going to be a party to-night.” 

“ What a mischievous little rogue Tommy is,” 
said Ray to himself, “ I won’t mind him at all,” 
and he turned on the other side to have a sleep. 

“ If you won’t come out, please take me in, 
Ray,” whispered Tommy in his most coaxing 
voice. “ You know I’ve had the measles and the 
night dews are so bad for my chest.” 

Ray could not resist this appeal, so he jumped 
up and put on his clothes as quickly as pos- 
sible. He stole softly out of the window and 
climbed down the low shed. 

“ Where are you, Tommy ? ” cried Ray, when 
his feet touched the ground. 

“Here I am,” replied Tommy, and there he 
stood with a tiny lantern in his hand. 

“ Where did you get that lantern ? ” asked Ray. 

Tommy was laughing and his eyes twinkled 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 


129 


as he said, “ A Will-o-the-wisp let me take it to 
go to the party.” 

“ What party ? ” asked the astonished Ray. 
u Why, there’s a grand ball to-night in Jack-o’- 
lantern’s Hall, and everybody is going.” 

u You can’t go,” cried Ray ; but Tommy sud- 
denly started off and ran as fast as he could 
down the hill with Ray after him. 

Ray could see the flash of light from the lan- 
tern every now and then, and he tried hard to 
catch Tommy. All of a sudden the lantern dis- 
appeared, and Ray was alone in the darkness. 

All at once he became aware of two eyes 
staling at him, and looking up he saw a great 
owl sitting on the low branch of a tree. 

“ O wise owl, will you please tell me where 
Jack-o’-lantern’s Hall is ? ” asked Ray. 

u Go over the hill to the marsh-land and you 
will find it, my boy,” said the wise owl. 

4 * Did you see Tommy Pebble pass by with a 

lantern just now ? ” 

9 


130 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ They all carry lanterns who go there,” re- 
plied the owl. 

“Why don’t you go to the party?” asked 
Ray. 

“ Because I have an engagement with another 
party,” was the answer. 

“ I hope you have a pleasant time,” remarked 
the boy ; but the owl said in a very solemn 
voice : 

“ This is a business engagement with a field 
mouse or two ; I might say it is business and 
pleasure combined.” 

Just then several lanterns w.ent past and Ray 
left the wise owl to follow the flittering light. 
On and on he ran and never stopped until he 
was quite out of breath. He found himself at 
the Laughing Rock, and on top of it was Mr. 
Pebble, sitting cross-legged, smiling at him. 

“ Where’s Tommy ? ” asked the jolly papa. 

“ I don’t know,” replied Ray, “ he’s up to 
some mischief very likely.” 


THE LAUGHING ROCK. 


131 


Then he told Mr. Pebble about Tommy’s run- 
ning off to the party. Mr. Pebble roared with 
laughter, and Ray found himself sitting on the 
rock laughing so hard that it shook. 

All of a sudden he saw Mr. Pebble roll up 
his sleeves and work very fast, while flashes like 
sunbeams seemed to shoot out of the rock. 

At last Ray stopped laughing and Mr. 
Pebble disappeared, saying softly : — “ Good sup- 
ply of coal to-day.” 


CHAPTER XI. 


THE TALKING CHAIR. 

OU would never have thought that 
the chair could talk if you had 
seen it, and perhaps it would not 
have said a word for you and me, 
but it certainly did for Dorothy. It was a solid 
wooden chair and very old-fashioned. It had 
a face quaintly carved on its straight back, 
and Aunt Polly thought a great deal of this 
old chair because it had belonged to her great- 
grandmother. One day Dorothy was visiting 
Aunt Polly with her best doll, Susan Ida. The 
little girl sat on a hassock and put Susan Ida 
in the old chair in front of her. 

“ How do you do, Susan ? ” said a voice. u I’m 
real glad to see you ; make yourself comfortable.” 

Dorothy looked all around to see who had been 
talking, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Then 
she saw the carved face on the chair smiling at 
her. 



133 


THE TALKING CHAIR. 


133 


“ Were you talking just now ? ” asked Dorothy. 

“Yes,” answered the chair, u I like to talk 
to little children.” 

44 Do you really,” said Dorothy ; 44 then perhaps 
you could tell me a story ? ” 

“Nothing easier,” replied the chair, “which 
would you prefer to hear ; 4 The Enchanted 
Horse,’ 4 The Three Boxes,’ or 4 The Beautiful 
Princess Isabelle’?” 

44 O,” said Dorothy, 44 tell me about the beau- 
tiful Princess Isabelle.” 

44 Very well,” said the chair, 44 you shall hear.” 

44 Excuse me,” said Dorothy, 44 before you be- 
gin. 44 Do you mind Susan Ida sitting on you ? 
She’ll be very quiet.” 

44 Not at all,” was the answer, 44 1 don’t mind 
being sat on,” and the chair began the story : — 

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful 
little princess whose name was Isabelle. She 
had exquisite dolls, wonderful toys and lived in 
a most beautiful castle. But she was not quite 


134 : 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


happy because she had no little brother or sister 
or cousin to play with. She did not have even 
a little friend to visit. She lived quite alone in 
the great castle with the servants and sometimes 
she felt very lonely. Every day she walked in 
the castle garden and longed for a playmate. 
One day as she sat in her little summer-house 
she said aloud, “ O, how I would like somebody 
to play with.” She tapped her foot on the 
ground and sighed. 

All at once as she sat there a little old woman 
appeared before her. 

She wore a pointed hat and carried a crooked 
staff, and said in a squeaky voice : 

“Well, my dear, you tapped for me; what 
would you like ? Think a long time before you 
speak, because I cannot come again for seven 
years.” 

But little Isabelle did not wait a moment. 
She said eagerly, “ Give me a playmate.” 

“You shall have one,” said the old woman, 


THE TALKING CHAIR. 135 

and she struck the floor three times with her 
crooked stick, saying :• 

“ A nick, a knock, a Knack. 

A beak, a beck, a back. 

0 blow a crow to Isabelle ! 

And here it comes, so now farewell.” 

The old woman disappeared with a loud laugh 
and immediately a great black crow flew into 
the summer-house. Poor little Isabelle, she felt 
so disappointed that she could have cried. She 
had asked for a playmate, and the wicked old 
woman had given her a crow. But she was a 
kind good little girl as well as a beautiful 
princess, and she felt sorry for the poor black 
crow. It looked so lonesome as it perched on 
the back of a chair that Isabelle said sweetly : 

“ Poor crow, I wonder what name I had better 
call you ? ” 

“Call me Thalia,” said the crow. 

“ Thalia,” repeated Isabelle. “ What a pretty 
name, where did you hear it ? ” 


136 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ It is my right name,” answered the crow, 
“ and that wicked old woman calls me a crow.” 

. “But, Thalia,” said Isabelle, “you look just 
like a crow.” 

“ Alas ! I know it,” replied the bird ; “ but I 
was once a little princess like yourself. That 
old woman turned me into a crow and kept me 
in her enchanted castle, until to-day, when she 
called me here.” 

Isabelle was very much surprised to hear 
Thalia’s story and said, “ I wish I could turn 
you back into a princess again.” 

“ O, how I wish you could ! ” exclaimed the 
crow ; “ but as there is only one way to do it, I 
fear that I can never be changed.” 

“Tell me,” said Isabelle, “the way that it 
can be done.” 

“ If you could get the old woman’s crooked 
stick you could change me back into my right 
shape, but you never could get the stick,” said 
the crow. 


THE TALKING CHAIR, 


137 


“ But why not ? ” asked Isabelle. “ Couldn’t 
I go to the old woman’s enchanted castle and take 
the stick while she was asleep ? ” 

u But she never sleeps,” said the crow, u and 
she never lets the stick out of her hand.” 

“ Then I don’t see how we could ever get 
it,” cried Isabelle sorrowfully. The poor crow 
looked very sad, and Isabelle was quiet for a 
long time thinking hard. u I am going to try,” 
she cried all at once. “ I shall go to the en- 
chanted castle and see if I can get the crooked 
staff.” 

The crow shook her head saying, “ I’m afraid 
you’ll never find the castle, and even if you did, 
you could never get the crooked staff.” 

“ There is nothing like trying, you know,” re- 
plied the brave little girl ; and the next morn- 
ing, bright and early, the beautiful Princess 
Isabelle started out on a long journey to find 
the old woman’s enchanted castle. 

She walked a long distance, then she came 


138 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

to a little red house. Isabelle knocked on the 
door and a fox with a bushy tail opened it. 

“Will you please tell me how to find the 
enchanted castle of the old woman with the 
pointed hat and crooked staff? ” asked the 
Princess. 

“ If I tell you,” said the fox, “ will you prom- 
ise to come back ? ” 

“ I promise,” answered Isabelle. 

“ Turn to your right,” said the fox, “ and 
climb the first hill you see.” 

“Thank you,” replied Isabelle, and she did 
just as the fox told her to do. 

When she climbed to the top of the hill she 
came to another little red house, and on knock- 
ing at the door a goat appeared. 

“ Will you please tell me how to find the en- 
chanted castle of the old woman with the 
pointed hat and the crooked staff ? ” 

“ If I tell you,” said the goat, “ will you prom- 
ise to come back to me ? ” 


THE TALKING CHAIR. 


139 


u I promise,” was the answer, and the goat 
said : 

“Turn to your right and go up the first hill 
you see.” 

Isabelle thanked the goat, and followed his 
directions. When the top of the second hill 
was reached she stood before another little red 
house. 

She knocked, and a green parrot came to the 
door. 

“ Will you please tell me how to get to the 
enchanted castle of the old woman with the 
pointed hat and the crooked staff ? ” asked the 
little girl. 

“If I tell you, will you promise to come 
back ? ” said the parrot. 

“ I promise,” said Isabelle. 

“Then be very careful,” cried the parrot, 
“for you are almost there. Walk until you 
come to a dense woods, take the narrow path 
and you will find the enchanted castle.” 


140 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

“ Thank you,” returned Isabelle, and she 
started off in the direction of the woods. She 
found the narrow path, and after walking a long 
way she came to the old woman’s castle. 

At first she hid behind some bushes and 
looked around, but after a while she decided to 
walk boldly up to the castle. She had gone 
but a few steps when somebody touched her on 
the shoulder, and turning around she found her- ' 
self face to face with the wicked old woman of 
the pointed hat and crooked staff. 

u How do you do, Isabelle ? ” said the old 
woman in a cracked voice ; u and how do you 
like your new playmate ? Ha ! ha ! ha ! ” and 
she laughed aloud and struck the ground with 
her crooked staff. 

Isabelle greeted the old woman politely and 
said, a I have heard that you are a very power- 
ful fairy, is it true % ” 

“ Indeed it is,” said the old woman very 
much pleaded. “ I can do wonderful tilings.” 



Isabelle greeted the old woman politely and said, “ I have heard that you 
are a very powerful fairy; is it true? Page 140, Little Miss Dorothy, 






THE TALKING CHAIR. 


141 


u So I have heard,” replied Isabelle, u that 
you can even turn people into different shapes 
and animals, but I don’t believe it.” 

u It is all true,” cried the old woman, “ I can 
prove it to you ; just ask me to change some- 
thing and you will see for yourself.” 

u Well,” said Isabelle, u if you are a powerful 
fairy, turn your crooked staff into a little bird.” 

u O, that is very easy,” said the old woman, 
and she swung her staff around her head three 
times saying : — 

“ 0 crooked staff, become a bird. 

And let thy tuneful voice be heard ; 

Fly all about, the trees and land, i 
Then light on Isabelle's fair hand.” 

In the twinkling of an eye the crooked staff 
had disappeared and a little yellow bird began 
to fly over their heads, singing all the time. 

Isabelle watched it as it flew over the trees 
and all at once it came right down into her 
hand, 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


ILL 

“I was a queen beloved of all my people, 
but one day the wicked old woman with the 
pointed hat and the crooked staff turned me 
into a parrot. I was then transported to this 
little red house, and I have never seen my 
husband the king or my two children since.” 

“ Come with me,” said Isabelle ; “ perhaps we 
can find them.” 

They hurried to the next little red house and 
the goat was already waiting for them. With- 
out a word Isabelle touched the goat with the 
crooked staff and it changed into a handsome 
man. 

“ My husband the king,” said the happy queen, 
and they embraced each other with tears of joy. 

“Now we have one more little red house to 
visit,” cried Isabelle, and they all walked rapidly 
until they reached the third little red house. 

The instant they appeared the fox came out 
of the house, and in a shorter time than I can 
tell you Isabelle, by means of the crooked staff, 


THE TALKING CHAIR. 


145 


had turned the fox into a beautiful 'little boy 
who ran to the king and queen, calling them 
“ papa ” and “ mamma.” 

“ Our dear child,” cried the queen, “ how glad 
we are to have you with us again ! If we could 
only see our lovely Thalia once more ! ” 

“ 4 Thalia,’ did you say ? ” asked Isabelle. 
w Yes,” replied the king, “ she was our little 
daughter. But, alas ! we do not even know of 
her existence.” 

Isabelle smiled when she thought of the pleas- 
ant surprise she had in store for her new friends. 
She waved the crooked staff and wished that 
she, with the king, queen, and boy might be 
transported to the summer-house in her own 
garden. In a second they were all there, and 
the very first thing they saw was the black 
crow perched on the chair. 

“ Dearest Thalia,” said Isabelle, at the same 
time waving the crooked staff, u become thy beau- 
tiful self again.” 

IO 


141 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“I was a queen beloved of all my people, 
but one day the wicked old woman with the 
pointed hat and the crooked staff turned me 
into a parrot. I was then transported to this 
little red house, and I have never seen my 
husband the king or my two children since.” 

“ Come with me,” said Isabelle ; “ perhaps we 
can find them.” 

They hurried to the next little red house and 
the goat was already waiting for them. With- 
out a word Isabelle touched the goat with the 
crooked staff and it changed into a handsome 
man. 

“ My husband the king,” said the happy queen, 
and they embraced each other with tears of joy. 

“Now we have one more little red house to 
visit,” cried Isabelle, and they all walked rapidly 
until they reached the third little red house. 

The instant they appeared the fox came out 
of the house, and in a shorter time than I can 
tell you Isabelle, by means of the crooked staff, 


THE TALKING CHAIR. 


145 


had turned the fox into a beautiful 'little boy 
who ran to the king and queen, calling them 
“ papa ” and “ mamma.” 

u Our dear child,” cried the queen, “ how glad 
we are to have you with us again ! If we could 
only see our lovely Thalia once more ! ” 

“ 4 Thalia,’ did you say ? ” asked Isabelle. 
u Yes,” replied the king, “ she was our little 
daughter. But, alas ! we do not even know of 
her existence.” 

Isabelle smiled when she thought of the pleas- 
ant surprise she had in store for her new friends. 
She waved the crooked staff and wished that 
she, with the king, queen, and boy might be 
transported to the summer-house in her own 
garden. In a second they were all there, and 
the very first thing they saw was the black 
crow perched on the chair. 

“ Dearest Thalia,” said Isabelle, at the same 
time waving the crooked staff, “ become thy beau- 
tiful self again.” 

IO 


146 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


O what a wonderful change ! In place of 
the poor black crow stood a lovely little girl. 
She kissed her father and mother and threw 
her arms around her brother’s neck. 

Words would fail to tell how much they all 
loved the beautiful little Princess Isabelle. 

But she was very happy, because she had 
gained two little playmates, Thalia and her 
brother. 

The king and queen decided to live in Isabelle’s 
castle, so you see she was never lonely again. 

“ Thank you,” said Dorothy, when the Talk- 
ing Chair had finished the story. 

“ Will you tell me another story some time ? ” 

“ With pleasure, my dear,” said the chair, and 
the carved face smiled at Dorothy. 


CHAPTER XII. 


THE ENCHANTED HORSE. 

ROTHY MAY had told her cou- 
sin Ray about the Talking Chair, 
and the very next time he went 
to visit Aunt Polly, Ray sat in the 
chair and asked for a story. 

“ Won’t you please tell me about the enchanted 
horse ? ” said Ray. 

The Talking Chair gave a low laugh, saying : 

“ How would you like to have the enchanted 
horse yourself, Ray ? ” 

“ O, that would be fine ! ” exclaimed Ray. 

“ Then do as I tell you and you will find it,” 
said the Talking Chair. 

“First close your eyes, now take a deep 
breath ; when I count ten open your eyes and 
go wherever you please.” 

Ray did exactly as the Talking Chair directed, 

and when he opened his eyes he found himself 

147 



148 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


in a strange country. He started to walk across 
a field and met a beautiful little boy. 

The boy smiled at Ray and said, “ My name 
is Stanzill, I am the keeper of the enchanted 
horse.” 

“ Are you ? ” exclaimed Ray. “ How I would 
like to see it ! ” 

“You may see it and have it for your own if 
you can guess my riddle.” 

“Let me hear it,” said Ray, and Stanzill 
began : 

“ I waded in the brook one day 
And saw a little boy at play. 

I smiled at him, he smiled at me ; 

I clapped my hands, and so did he. 

Then out I ran, nor stopped until 
I reached the round tower on the hill. 

I called to him. ‘ Hello ! ’ I said ; 

‘ Hello ! , he answered overhead. 

His name, pray tell what can it be, 

The boy who looks and talks like me.” 

Ray had heard riddles before but he was not 
very good at guessing them. 


THE ENCHANTED HORSE. 149 

“ Will you please say it once more ? ” said Ray, 
and Stanzill smiled and repeated the riddle. 

“ Now be very careful,” said Stanzill, u because 
you only have three guesses.” 

“ Is it a fish ? ” asked Ray. Stanzill shook 
his head. 

“ Is it a bird ? ” 

Again Stanzil shook his head and said, a Now 
you have just one more guess, if you wish I 
can tell you the right answer, but if I do, you 
can never see the enchanted horse.” 

“Then don’t tell me,” said Ray. “I’ll try 
very hard to guess it this time.” 

“You may have a day to guess it,” said Stan- 
zill. “ I shall leave you now, but to-morrow 
meet me at this spot ; if you have the answer, 
you shall have the enchanted horse ; if not, you 
will never see me again.” 

Stanzill disappeared and Ray sat on the grass 
to think of the answer to the riddle. He re- 
peated the words of the riddle slowly. 


150 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

“ What can it be ? ” said Ray to himself, and 
looking up he chanced to see a pond of water 
in the center of the field. He ran over to the 
pond and taking off his shoes and stockings he 
waded in the edge of the pond. The water was 
smooth as glass, and all of a sudden Ray saw 
his own image reflected in the shining surface. 
Ray smiled and his shadow smiled back, then 
he clapped his hands and the boy in the pond 
did the same. 

“Now I know,” said Ray, and he jumped 
out of the water and put on his shoes and stock- 
ings. lie started to run and never stopped till 
he reached a stone tower on a hill. Ray ran in- 
to the tower and shouted “ Hello ! ” “ Hello ! ” 
shouted the echo, “ I am Ray,” shouted the boy 
“ I am Ray,” shouted the echo. 

Ray was delighted ; he ran out of the tower 
and down the hill to wait for Stanzill. In a few 
moments he saw the boy appear. Stanzill ap- 
proached and said: 


THE ENCHANTED HORSE. 


151 


“I waded in the pond one day 
And saw a little boy at play. 

I smiled at him, he smiled at me ; 

I clapped my hands, and so did he 
Then out I ran, nor stopped until 
I reached the round tower on the hill. 

I called to him. f Hello ! 9 1 said. 

‘ Hello ! ? he shouted overhead. 

His name, pray tell what can it be, 

The boy who looks and talks like me.” 

“ Your shadow and echo, his name is Stanzill,” 
answered Ray. 

“You are right,” said the stranger, “and you 
shall have the wonderful enchanted horse.” 

“ Shall I have it to keep for my own ? ” asked 
Ray. 

“ It shall be yours forever if you remember 
one thing,” said Stanzill. 

“ It is a fairy horse, as you know, and can do 
all things ; but when once on its back, you must 
never look behind — if you do, it will be lost to 
you forever.” 

So saying Stanzill disappeared and in his 


152 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

place stood a beautiful white horse, just tall 
enough for Ray. After stroking the handsome 
horse, he swung himself into the saddle. “ Away 
to fairyland,” said Ray, waving his hand. 

Right up into the air rose the enchanted horse, 
with Ray on his back, and swift as thought he 
flew through the air. Over the fair land to the 
other end of the earth went the horse, and then 
came down so that Ray could look about. It 
was midday in fairyland and many of the 
fairies were asleep on the bosom of the flowers. 
Others were sailing past on silvery clouds, and 
on the leaves of an aspen tree near by Ray saw 
several fairies playing see-saw. It was all very 
still and dreamy at midday in fairyland and 
Ray was afraid he would fall asleep if he re- 
mained, so he jumped on the enchanted horse, 
and said, u Away to the Ice King’s country.” 

Again the horse rose in the air and followed 
the course of the north wind. The air was 
sharp and cold, and sometimes they passed 


THE ENCHANTED HORSE. 


153 


through places where snow was falling. At 
last Ray looked down and beheld a country of 
snow-fields and ice castles. He saw stretches 
of cold blue water where immense icebergs 
moved like floating mountains. 

Great white bears roamed over the snow-fields 
and seals and walrus floated on the icebergs. 
It was all very beautiful, but piercing cold, 
and Ray did not dismount. 

“ I think we had better start for a warmer 
climate,” said Ray, leaning forward and strok- 
ing the horse. “ I would like to go to the end 
of the rainbow,” he whispered softly. 

No sooner did he say the words than the en- 
chanted horse turned and started south. It was 
a very wonderful ride, and Ray saw many strange 
sights, but when he reached the country at the 
end of the rainbow he dismounted and was lost 
in admiration. He had always heard that there 
were bags full of gold at the end of the rainbow, 
but in reality he found that the streets were 


154 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


paved with gold and silver, inlaid with precious 
stones. The sun tinted the fields with the blue of 
the midday sky and the hills with the rose color 
of the twilight. The flowers looked like our 
own beautiful ones, the only difference being, 
that when you plucked them from the stem, they 
hardened into permanent shapes of beauty and 
the heart of each flower showed a beautiful gem. 

In the center of every rose a drop of dew had 
crystallized into a sparkling diamond, while 
every lily contained a pearl of priceless beauty 
hidden in its bosom. 

“ The end of the rainbow is the loveliest 
place in the world,” exclaimed Ray ; “ but now 
I must visit some other place. I think that I 
would like to visit the clouds,” he said, and in 
a second he was on the back of the horse and 
up he rose into the balmy air toward the clouds. 

He passed a great gray cloud castle that was 
moving very rapidly. He watched its great 
domes and towers and suddenly a giant ap 


THE ENCHANTED HORSE. 


155 


peared on the castle wall. u I am the Rain 
Giant,’ 7 said he, but before Ray could speak, the 
giant on the castle wall had passed, and Ray 
remembered that he must not look behind. 

Suddenly another castle was seen approach- 
ing and over the great entrance it read, “ Castle 
of the Thunder Giant.” The noise around the 
castle was almost deafening, and Ray saw 
two great giants in the castle garden fencing 
with golden swords. Every time their swords 
clashed a streak of lightning went through the 
sky. Ray moved so fast on the enchanted 
horse, that the thunder castle was soon far be- 
hind. Away in the distance Ray could see 
something that looked like a ball of fire. Sud- 
denly the horse stopped and Ray jumped off, 
and stood on a cloud hill. Just then he caught 
sight of a beautiful little girl who was hiding 
behind a soft white cloud. Ray tried to catch 
her, but she ran in and out and he had to chase 
her a long time before he could get her, 


156 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ What is your name ? ” asked Ray. 

“ They call me Sunbeam,” replied the little 
girl. 

“ What do you do all day ? ” asked Ray, and 
little Sunbeam replied : 

“ All the good I can.” 

“ But Avere you not playing Avhen I came 
along ? ” said Ray. 

“ Yes,” replied Sunbeam, “but it Avas to make 
some one else happy. Look doAvn,” and she 
pointed to the earth. 

Ray looked and saAV a little boy AAuth a AAdiite 
face lying in a bed. He Avas A\ 7 atcking Avith 
sad eyes a corner of his little room. Suddenly 
a smile broke OA 7 er his face, and Ray saAA r Sun- 
beam playing hide-and-seek in the A 7 ery corner, 
and the sick boy’s face brightened and he for- 
got his pain. 

“ I steal into dark places to lighten them,” 
said Sunbeam, “and sometimes I steal into 
people’s hearts that are darker than the places.” 


THE ENCHANTED HORSE. 157 

“ I think I would like to be a sunbeam ! ” 
exclaimed Hay. 

“But you are,” said his companion. “All 
little children are sunbeams, and when they 
show smiling faces and willing hands they bring 
happiness to everybody.” 

When she said these words she darted off and 
Ray mounted his horse and continued his journey. 

“ Now I want to visit the country where all 
the bad giants live,” said Ray, and once more 
the enchanted horse headed his course for a 
new journey. 

This journey was very exciting, because they 
passed witches and goblins on the road and 
some of them attempted to follow Ray. His 
horse went like the wind and Ray was not 
afraid until all at once he saw an old woman 
mounted on a broomstick coming toward him. 
He quickly turned his horse’s head the other 
way and was soon ahead of the witch on the 
broomstick. 


158 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


But Bay could hear her laugh behind him 
and suddenly she called out in a cracked voice, 
“ Come, goblins ; come, witches, let us all join in 
the merry chase.” 

Faster and faster flew the enchanted horse, 
but Bay could hear the loud voices and laugh- 
ter close behind. He grew frightened and for- 
got that he should not look behind. With his 
horse going like mad, he suddenly turned 
around and looked back. The old woman on 
the broomstick gave a loud laugh, and all at 
once disappeared. Bay rubbed his eyes and 
looked around him. The enchanted horse was 
gone and his rider was sitting safe and sound in 
the Talking Chair. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


THE THREE BOXES. 

OROTHY climbed on the Talking 
Chair and sat with her back to 
the quaintly carved face. She 
turned her head and whispered : 

“ Please tell me another story, like a good 
chair.” 

u Which shall it be to-day ? ” asked the chair. 

“ O, tell me about 4 The Three Boxes ’ ! ” ex- 
claimed Dorothy, “ I hav.e been thinking about 
them.” 

“ Listen, I’ll begin,” said the chair : — 

Once upon a time in a beautiful castle lived 
a prince. He was honest, brave and as wise 
as he was handsome. His name was Prince 
Charming, and everybody loved him. There 
was only one thing that his people desired him 
to do, and that was to give them a queen. But 

although beautiful maidens lived in his country 

lo9 



160 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


and many a lovely princess had visited his 
castle, he had never seen one that he cared to 
make queen. 

One day at a grand fete his greatest captain 
said to him : 

“Ah ! Prince Charming, your people love 
you, but they are disappointed because there is 
no queen to welcome them.” 

“ I must have a queen,” replied the prince, 
“ and to-morrow I shall start on a long journey. 
I will visit all the kingdoms on the earth to 
find a queen that I can truly love.” 

The next morning he started out alone on 
his long journey. Taking the path that led to 
the woods he walked quickly. He had gone 
but a short distance when he was surprised by 
loud voices, and through an opening in the trees 
he beheld two men about to rush on each other 
with drawn swords. Prince Charming stepped 
out and stood before the angry men. 

“Halt! I command you” he said, and the 



“Halt! I command you,” he said, and the men, seeing their Prince, dropped 
back and put up their swords,— Page 161, Little Miss Dorothy. 








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THE THREE BOXES. 


161 


men seeing tlieir Prince dropped back and put 
up tlieir swords. 

w Tell me why you quarrel ? ” asked the 
Prince. 

“We were walking through the woods,” said 
one of the men, “ and I spied a purse of gold in 
the mud of yonder thicket. I told my com- 
panion and we started to run for the purse. 
On the way my foot got caught in a trap and I 
could not move. My friend here got the purse 
and then came back and helped me out of the 
trap, but he will not give up the purse to me.” 

“ Nor should he do so,” said the Prince. “ It 
is true that you saw the purse, but it was your 
friend who dug it out of the mud. You must 
both go to my captain and tell him about the 
purse. He will try to find the owner, but if no 
one appears to claim the purse, you shall divide 
the gold between you, and each have an equal 
share.” 

The men promised to obey their Prince and 


• 162 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


they went on their way in friendship, well sat- 
isfied. 

A little farther on in the woods Prince Charm- 
ing came suddenly on two old women who were 
quarreling about a young goat. They stopped 
when they saw the Prince approach and one of 
them said, “ O Prince, the kid is mine, and I 
must have it.” 

“Nay, good Prince,” said the other, “ the kid 
is mine and I need it much.” 

The Prince turned to the old woman who 
had spoken first and said : 

“ Prove to me that the kid is thine.” 

“I live in yonder cottage,” said the old 
woman, “ with a pig and a cow and a brood of 
little chicks. This kid gives me milk and it is 
mine.” 

“Now,” said the Prince to the other old 
woman, “how canst thou prove the kid is 
thine ? ” 

“ Alas ! ” said the poor old woman, “ I can 


THE THREE BOXES. 


163 


only say that it is mine. I live in the cottage 
beside this dame. I have neither pig nor cow, 
but a little garden and this good kid. It feeds 
from my hand and comes to me when I call its 
name.” 

u I shall buy the kid and carry it far away 
with me,” said the Prince. “ How much will you 
ask for it ? ” 

“ O,” said the first old woman, rubbing her 
hands, “ I will sell it to thee for a piece of gold.” 

“ How much do you ask for it ? ” said Prince 
Charming to the second old woman. 

She took the corner of her apron and wiped 
the tears from her kind eyes. “ I will not sell 
my kid,” she said. “ It is all I have. I love 
the gentle creature and rather than have it go 
far away I will let this dame keep it.” 

w I see that the kid is yours and you shall have 
it,” said the Prince. “ Take it and go thy way.” 

u As for you, wicked old woman, tell me the 
truth at once.” 


164 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Whereupon the greedy old woman began to 
mumble excuses, but the Prince was very angry 
and said : 

“You have a pig and a cow and yet are so 
grasping that you would take the kid of your 
neighbor ; now if you are not more honest I will 
put thee in my great prison.” 

The Prince continued his way and deep in 
the woods he met a boy gathering fagots. He 
was working very hard and would not stop a 
second. i 

“ Why do you work so fast ? ” said the Prince. 

“Because my master is waiting,” answered 
the boy, “ and if I am not back at a certain time 
he will be angry and beat me.” 

The Prince helped the boy gather the fagots 
and when the basket was filled he carried it 
through the woods. As they approached the 
cruel master’s house the Prince said to the boy : 

“ Go thou and hide behind that woodpile and 
I will see thy master.” 


THE THREE BOXES. 


165 


Prince Charming knocked on the door and 
the cruel master appeared. 

“ I want a boy,” said the Prince. “ Dost thou 
know of one to travel with me ? ” 

“ No, Prince,” was the answer. a I have one, 
but he is lazy and does not earn his bread and 
butter.” 

“ Then I will take him,” said the Prince. “ If 
he were a help I would not rob thee of his good 
service, but as he is lazy I will take him off thy 
hands.” 

The cruel master began to stammer and 
stutter. 

“ Alas ! Prince, I beg you to forgive me. He 
is a most worthy boy and helps me very much. 
You would not take him away from me? ” 

“ Thou art a cruel master,’* said the Prince, 
u and thou hast spoken an untruth of the 
boy.” 

The master trembled when he saw the Prince 
angry and he begged for mercy. 


166 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ This much mercy I will have for thee,” said 
the Prince, “ from this day thou shalt treat the 
boy with all kindness. I will leave him here 
and he will help thee fairly, but on my return I 
will come and if thou hast been cruel or neglect- 
ful I will put thee in my great prison.” 

The Prince then continued his journey and 
was soon iu the heart of the forest. When 
night came he spread his cloak on the ground 
and slept under a great oak, and the fairies 
watched over him because he was good and they 
loved him. The next morning he was awakened 
by the joyous singing of the birds. He took 
some bread and cheese from his wallet, and when 
he had eaten, he arose to go on his way. Sud- 
denly there appeared before him a beautiful 
fairy. The Prince made a low courtesy to the 
fairy, who smiled at him and held three small 
boxes in her hand. 

“Prince Charming,” said the fairy, “these 
boxes are a gift from the fairies, continue thy 


THE THREE BOXES. 


167 


journey until you reach a great castle surrounded 
by a high wall. Stop at this high wall and 
open these boxes, they will help you find your 
queen.” 

u Thank you, beautiful fairy,” said Prince 
Charming, and he took the three boxes and care- 
fully placed them in his pocket. 

The fairy disappeared, and the .Prince walked 
on his way. All that day he traveled over hill 
and dale, and when night came he slept in the 
cottage of an old woman. The next morning 
he gave the old woman a piece of gold and 
started out again. He had gone a long dis- 
tance when he saw before him a great castle sur- 
rounded by a wall of stone. 

The wall was so high that you could only see 
the top of the castle. The Prince walked all 
around the stone wall, but there was no gate, 
and he wondered how he was going to climb it. 
Suddenly he remembered the fairy boxes and 
he took one out of his pocket. On opening the 


168 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

box he found a tiny brown seed and under it 
was written in very small letters the word 
“plant? 

The Prince took the brown seed and put it in 
the ground close to the stone wall, covering it 
lightly with the soft earth. All at once a small 
sprout appeared, which began to grow larger 
and larger, coiling itself against the stone wall 
and spreading like a great vine, thick and strong. 
In a few minutes it had grown to the top of the 
great wall and its stalk was so large that the 
Prince could easily climb it. 

It did not take him very long to get over the 
high wall by means of the fairy vine. When 
he was safe on the other side he found himself 
in the pathway of a beautiful garden. He 
walked along till he came to the great door of 
the castle, where he knocked loudly, but no one 
came. He knocked again and again, and still 
nobody opened the door. Just then he thought 
of the fairy boxes, and he took the second one 


THE THREE BOXES. 


169 


out of his pocket. He opened it and found a 
tiny key and under it read the word “ unlock” 

He immediately tried the key, and in a second 
the castle door flew open and lie walked in. A 
powerful king was sitting on the throne in a 
large hall and he welcomed Prince Charming, 
who told his errand. 

“ I have three daughters,” said the King, “ and 
you can choose for yourself. It would be a great 
honor to have you make one of them your queen.” 

“ May I see your daughters ? ” asked the Prince. 

“ Yes,” said the King ; “ they are somewhere 
about the castle, but I will have them here at 
once.” The king blew a trumpet and suddenly 
a beautiful princess appeared and walked to her 
father’s throne. 

tt This is the Princess Vanity,” said the King, 
and Prince Charming bowed low to the 
beautiful girl, who made a graceful courtesy. 

u IIow lovely she is ! ” thought the Prince, 
but just then another princess appeared and the 


170 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


King said, “This is the Princess Haughty.” 
She bowed and held three fingers to the Prince, 
who was charmed with her stately beauty. 

“ And here is my third little daughter,” said the 
King, as a beautiful golden-haired maiden 
tripped up to the throne, with a face as smiling 
as a sunbeam, “ the Princess Goodness.” 

What a pleasant greeting she gave Prince 
Charming and how sweet and low her voice ! 

“ Now, Prince,” said the King, “ I hope you 
will be our guest for a long time and my 
daughters will entertain you.” 

The Prince thanked the King, and was soon 
enjoying the company of the three beautiful 
daughters. As the days went on it was hard 
to make up his mind which was the most beauti- 
ful of the three girls, and one night when the 
Prince was sitting in his chamber he thought he 
was in love with all three of them. “ But I 
cannot marry all of them. I can only take one 
for my queen,” said he, and he was puzzled. 


THE THREE BOXES. 


171 


Suddenly he thought of the third box in his 
pocket, and he took it out and quickly opened 
it. Inside there was a beautiful gold ring and 
underneath was written 

“ She whose finger I fit right 
Is your queen, your heart’s delight.” 

Prince Charming smiled and placed the ring 
carefully in his pocket. 

The next morning as he strolled through the 
castle he caught sight of Princess Vanity in her 
parlor. The Prince tapped gently and entered, 
but she was so intently admiring herself in the 
glass that she never saw the Prince. She was 
bedecked and beribboned with jewels and laces, 
and she smirked and smiled at her reflection in 
the mirror. 

u Hem ! ” coughed Prince Charming to attract 
her attention, but she never heard him. “ Hem 
-em” coughed the Prince very loud, and Princess 
Vanity turned quickly. 

“ Why, Prince, how you surprised me ! ” and 


172 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

she gave him one of the smiles that she had been 
practising for several minutes. 

“ My beautiful Princess, I do not wish to 
disturb you, but will you let me see your left 
hand.” 

She smilingly held up her hand and he tried 
on the fairy ring, but it would not fit and the 
Prince bowed and left her. 

“ How glad I am that it is not the Princess 
Vanity,” said Prince Charming. “ She is beauti- 
ful but that is all.” 

Suddenly as he walked along he saw Princess 
H aughty. She was j ust going up-stairs and never 
a pleasant good morning did she say to her 
women who were standing about. 

Prince Charming .followed quickly and over- 
took Princess Haughty on the stairs. 

“ Will you please try on this ring ? ” asked the 
handsome Prince. 

She took it in her finger-tips and tried it on, 
but it would not fit her at all, and she returned 


THE THREE BOXES. 173 

it to Prince Charming with a sneer on her beau- 
tiful face. 

The Prince thanked her and hurried off, know- 
ing in his heart that he was glad. 

“ Her heart is proud and she is cold ; I do not 
want a queen like that,” said the Prince to him- 
self. 

“ Now to find Goodness, and if the ring does 
not fit her I must continue my journey, for I am 
bound to bring a queen home to my people.” 

He looked all over the castle, but could not 
find the Princess Goodness. He went into the 
garden, and just as he turned into a path he 
caught a glimpse of her. The Prince watched 
her through some bushes and saw that she was 
helping an old woman to carry a heavy basket, 
and her cheery voice was like sweet music to 
Prince Charming’s ear. 

The Prince stepped out and took the basket, 
which he carried to the castle. When he re- 
turned to the garden the Princess Goodness was 


174 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


gathering flowers. She held a beautiful rose in 
her hand, and said to the Prince : u Is it not 
lovely ? ” Then she gave it to him. 

u It is not half as lovely as yourself,” whis- 
pered Prince Charming, and he caught the little 
hand of the Princess. He slipped the ring out 
of his pocket and on to her finger, which it fitted 
perfectly. 

Prince Charming bent his handsome head and 
kissed Princess Goodness, saying softly : — “ My 
Queen.” 


CHAPTER XIV. 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 

NE afternoon the face on the Talk- 
ing Chair smiled at Ray, who was 
sitting on the floor. 

“ A story ? ” whispered the 

Talking Chair. 

“Yes, if yon please,” replied Ray, and he sat 
very still while the Talking Chair began : — 

Once upon a time in a distant land there 
lived two brothers whose names were Mansur 
and Elrick. When they reached a certain age 
they wanted to travel and see the world, so they 
went to their father, who was the king, and 
asked him if they could go. 

“ No doubt you would like to reach King 
Fortune’s country,” said their father. 

“ That we would, Sire,” replied Mansur ; 
“ will you please tell us how to get there ? ” 

v, ‘ Before I do that,” returned the king, “ let me 

175 



176 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


tell you that many have started for King For- 
tune’s country who have never reached it.” 

“ And why ? ” questioned the brothers. 

“Because the road is long and beset with, 
dangers.” 

“ We are not afraid to try it,” said Mansur, 
bravely. 

“ Then, my boys, take the road straight 
ahead, keep going forward, and remember 
these words : Be brave, honest, and never 
give up.” 

Then the King gave each of the brothers a 
sword, an ax, and a purse of gold, and they started 
on their journey. 

They walked all day and towards night en- 
tered a deep forest. 

“ Where can we sleep ? ” asked Elrick. 
“There is no place in these woods; let us go 
back.” 

“ We will never go back for such a small 
thing as that,” said Mansur, and he started to 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 


177 


make a bed of dry leaves. In a few minutes 
tlie bed was made, and very soft and comfortable 
it seemed to the tired travelers. 

The brothers slept soundly, but just as morn- 
ing broke, they were awakened by a terrible 
roar. They jumped to their feet and in the 
distance, coming toward them, was a great lion 
with eyes like balls of fire. 

“We shall be eaten by the lion,” cried Elrick, 
and he trembled where he stood. 

“ Draw your sword,” said Mansur. 

“What good will that do?” replied Elrick. 
“We are no match for a lion.” 

“ I shall fight for my life,” returned Mansur, 
and with the words the lion approached and 
made a spring, but Mansur was all ready for 
him, and the brave boy plunged his good sword 
into the very heart of the lion, who rolled at his 
feet dead. 

The brothers continued their journey and 

were soon out of the forest. Suddenly they 
12 


178 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


came to a great lake and there was neither boat 
nor craft of any kind to take them across. 

“ What shall we do ? ” exclaimed Elrick. 
u There is no way to get across the lake.” 

“ We must try,” said Mansur, and he took his 
ax and began to cut down some trees. 

When he had enough he trimmed off all the 
branches, and tied them together, making a very 
good raft. In a short time they had crossed 
the lake and were on land again. 

They journeyed on until they came to a high 
mountain, where they sat down to rest. They 
bought some bread from an old woman, and 
while they were eating it Elrick said : 

u I am tired of traveling. This mountain is 
too high to climb, let us go back.” 

“ Never,” replied his brother, “ until I have 
reached King Fortune’s country.” So saying he 
arose and started to climb the high mountain. 

Elrick followed slowly and murmured all the 
way, but Mansur kept right on without a word 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 


m 

of complaint. They had gone about half way 
up the mountain when all at once they fell, and 
before they could stop themselves, they rolled 
over and over down the mountain side and 
never stopped until they reached its base. 

“It is too bad,” exclaimed Elrick, picking 
himself up, “when we were so far up the 
mountain, to fall. I am not going to climb it 
again, are you ? 

“ Yes, indeed I am,” replied Mansur, and be- 
gan to climb the steep mountain again as fast 
as he could. 

Elrick did not want to do it, but he felt a 
little ashamed when he saw his brother, so he 
arose and followed him. 

On and on they struggled, it was very hard 
work and they were both tired. They had al- 
most reached the top of the mountain, when they 
stumbled and once more they fell, rolling over 
and over, and never stopped until they were in 
their old place at the very foot of the mountain. 


180 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ That is truly discouraging,” said Elrick, 
“ and I for one will not try again.” 

“ Then I must climb it alone,” said Mansur. 
u I am bound to get over this mountain.” 

u But I am sure you cannot,” replied Elrick. 

“ I’ll try,” said Mansur, and he started all over 
again. 

Elrick grumbled all the way, but after a long 
tiresome journey they reached the top. It did 
not take them very long to go down the other 
side of the mountain, and they saw a river be- 
fore them. 

Elrick sat on the bank and wondered how he 
was going to get across, while Mansur took off 
his clothes and having made them into a bundle 
tied it on his head and swam across the river. 

u I’m afraid,” said Elrick. “ I think I’ll turn 
back, there are too many hard places to go over 
to reach King Fortune’s country.” 

“ Come on ! ” shouted Mansur. “ You haven’t 
tried yet.” 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 


181 


But faint-hearted Elrick turned his footsteps 
homeward and was soon out of sight. Mansur 
continued his journey alone amid many a danger 
and hardship. Sometimes it was high mountains 
to climb, at other times there were wide rivers 
to cross. Often he met wild animals and had to 
fight for his life, and very often wicked people 
tried to lure him from the right path. Through- 
out it all Mansur was brave, honest and hopeful ; 
his favorite motto was, u I’ll ‘try,” and in spite of 
rough places he always succeeded. The purse 
of gold that his father had given him was 
empty, and he had to work for his food and 
sleep on the roadside. 

One day as he journeyed on he met an old 
man, who greeted him pleasantly. 

“ Will you tell me, good sire, how far it is to 
King Fortune’s country ? ” questioned Mansur. 

“ You are almost there,” replied the old man. 
‘‘You have only to travel through that forest. 
He pointed to a stretch of woods just ahead of 


m 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


them and Mansur said joyfully, “ I am glad it is 
so near, for I have traveled far.” 

“ Ah ! my son,” said the old man, “ the hard- 
est part of the journey is still before you.” 

“ How can that be ? ” asked Mansur ; “ the 
wood is not large and I will soon be out of it.” 

“ It is the abode of three terrible giants,” said 
the old man, “ and they will surely kill you. It 
would be death to go through that wood.” 

44 I’ll try,” was the answer, and the brave 
Mansur started for the wood. 

He walked very cautiously, looking to the 
right and left, but saw no sign of the giants. 
When night came he slept in the midst of some 
bushes and as he closed his eyes he wondered if 
the giants would find him. Early the next 
morning he arose and when he had eaten some 
berries and a slice of bread he continued his 
way through the wood. Suddenly he spied in 
the distance an immense giant coming toward 
him. 


the two Brothers. 


183 


The giant was looking on the ground and 
had not seen Mansur, who quick as a flash 
climbed a tree and was hidden among its 
branches. 

Mansur did not get out of the way a minute 
too soon, because the giant approached with 
heavy steps. He passed right under the tree 
where Mansur was hiding, and the boy had a 
good look at him. 

The most remarkable thing about the giant 
was his hair. It was pale green in color 
and gave him a most weird and terrible 
aspect. 

When the giant was out of sight Mansur stole 
softly down from the tree. He looked all around 
and suddenly his eye caught sight of a stout 
cord. The boy took the cord and quickly 
climbed into the tree again saying, “ Now I’ve 
got him if he comes back.” 

In a very few minutes the terrible giant with 
the green hair was seen returning. He was 


184 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


looking eagerly on the ground as if he saw foot- 
steps. 

When he reached the tree where Mansur was 
hiding he began to sniff the air like an animal. 
All at once Mansur let down the noose that he 
had made in the cord and slipped it over the 
giant’s head. Before he knew it the green-haired 
monster was caught and held fast. The boy 
then drew the cord around a strong branch of 
the tree and the bad giant was left hanging 
there. 

u There is one gone,” said Mansur to himself, 
and he went on his way. 

Suddenly as he walked along a strange sight 
met his eyes. Right before him, stretched on 
the grass, asleep, was a monster with blue hair. 
He was larger than the green-haired giant and 
so ugly even in his sleep, that Mansur trembled. 

Our hero stood perfectly still and looked 
around. In order to go on his way he would 
have to step over the giant. “ I’ll do it,” said 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 


185 


Mansur ; and drawing his sword he stepped on 
the giant’s silver belt. The blue-haired monster 
opened his eyes and was just going to jump 
when Mansur plunged his sword into the bad 
giant’s heart. u There are two of them gone,” 
said Mansur ; “ I wonder what the third is 
like” 

He traveled on till he came to a great castle, 
in the very heart of -the forest, and as he was hun- 
gry he went up to the great door and knocked. 
A terrible voice asked : 

“ Who is there ? ” 

“ Mansur,” was the reply. 

“ Enter,” said the terrible voice. 

The great door flew open and Mansur entered. 
He found himself in the presence of the most 
fearful monster of all. His great head was 
covered with a tangled mass of purple hair and 
he was dreadful to behold. 

The purple-haired giant was sitting on a great 
throne, and he glared at Mansur, saying in a 


186 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


voice of thunder: “How did you pass my 
brothers ? ” 

Mansur made a low bow and said: “You 
had better ask them, you will find them in the 
path.” 

“What ! ” roared the giant, “do you mean to 
say that my brothers saw you ? ” 

“ Indeed they did,” replied Mansur, “as plainly 
as you do.” 

“ Then I will kill theinj^\s£,” said the purple- 
haired giant. “They have disobeyed me and 
they must die.” 

“ In what way have they disobeyed you ? ” 
asked the boy. 

“No human being,” roared the giant, “must 
pass through this forest to King Fortune’s 
country. It was my command ; you shall die, 
but I will first destroy them.” He crossed the 
room with a terrible stride and slammed tiie 
door as he went out. 

“Now is my chance,” said Mansur and he 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 


is r 

tried to open the door, but it was locked fast. 
He ran to the windows but they had iron bars 
across them and he knew that he was a pris- 
oner. 

u Alas ! ” cried Mansur, u if he returns he will 
kill me in the twinkling of an eye. I must 
try to get out, I must try.” 

He saw a heavy curtain at the end of the 
room. He drew it aside and saw that it hid a 
great door. Our brave little hero opened the 
door and saw a long flight of stairs, which he 
began to climb as fast as he could. Higher and 
higher he went. It seemed as if they would 
never end ; but at last he reached the very top 
and saw a great iron door. He opened it 
quickly and found himself in the giants’ treasure 
room filled with gold and silver. 

“ Where can I go now ? ” exclaimed Mansur, 
looking in vain for a door. 

“ Here,” said a voice, and Mansur turned and 
beheld a beautiful fairy. 


188 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


She touched the wall and it suddenly opened 
and the boy was safe. 

He was in a beautiful room and the fairy 
said : “ The purple-haired giant does not know 
of this room, so he can never find you here.” 

“ I thank you, beautiful fairy,” said Mansur, 
and he dropped on his knee like the brave 
knight that he was. 

“ Arise,” said the fairy ; u you deserve all 
help, because you always try, and are brave 
and honest. But you are not yet out of 
danger,” she continued. “ This purple-haired 
giant is such a powerful monster that no one 
has ever escaped him. Kings and brave knights 
have come to fight him with wonderful swords 
and battle axes only to meet defeat.” 

Mansur pointed to his own trusty sword and 
said: u Yet I have had success with this.” 

“ That is true,” said the fairy ; “ but you must 
know that no sword or instrument of any kind 
can kill this monster, and when he has discovered 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 


189 


that his brothers are dead he will tear you to 
pieces if he sees you.” 

“ Then what can I do ? ” asked Mansur. 

“ There is just one way to kill the purple 
giant.” 

“ And that ? ” asked Mansur eagerly. 

“ To let him see his own face in a mirror,” 
said the fairy. “ There is nothing of the kind in 
this castle or forest, but, if he once sees his own 
terrible countenance he will be destroyed for- 
ever. 

“Now, Mansur,” continued the fairy, “you 
will hide in this room until it is dark. Then 
steal softly out of the castle and go to the edge 
of the woods, where you will find a mirror ; re- 
turn with it and everything in this castle shall 
be yours and there is something here far more 
precious than gold or silver.” 

The fairy disappeared, and all at once Mansur 
heard a beautiful voice in another part of the 
castle, singing a sweet sad song. 


190 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Suddenly the voice stopped, there was a ter- 
rible noise and he knew that the giant had re- 
turned. Putting his ear to the w^all, Mansur 
could hear the monster climbing the stairs. 
Nearer and nearer sounded the footsteps, and 
at last the giant stood in his treasure room. 
“ Where is he, where is the pigmy, till I grind 
him to pieces ! ” roared the giant. He knocked 
over bags of gold in his rage, but at last he gave 
up the search and w T ent to look in other places. 
Mansur waited patiently until darkness came, and 
then he heard three little taps, the w r all opened, 
and he stepped out and stole softly down the 
long stairs. In a few minutes he was out of the 
castle and he hurried through the woods. Early 
the next morning he reached the edge of it 
where he found a large looking-glass. 

u Now if I only had a swift horse I would fly 
to the giant’s castle,” thought Mansur, and no 
sooner did he have the wish than a beautiful 
white horse stood beside him, Mansur mounted 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 


191 


the noble steed and holding the mirror before 
him headed for the forest. The white horse 
went like the wind, and in a short time the giant’s 
castle appeared in sight. 

“We will be there very soon,” said Mansur, 
and just then the purple-haired giant came in 
sight. The monster was walking in the path, 
ahead, and turning suddenly he beheld Mansur. 
The giant gave a terrible roar and dashed forward 
to meet the boy, but just as he came up Mansur 
held the mirror before the giant’s face. For a 
minute the monster gazed into the glass that 
reflected his own horrible countenance, then he 
staggered backward and fell to the ground with 
a groan, dead. 

“ Hurrah ! ” shouted Mansur as he jumped 
off the horse and ran to the castle. “ Now I shall 
find out who has the sweet, sad voice.” 

He ran into every room and at last came to a 
beautiful chamber where he found a princess as 
fair as the morning. 


192 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ Have you come to save me ? ” asked tlie 
princess. 

Mansur bowed and laid his sword at her feet 
saying, u Command me, fair lady, and 1 obey.” 

“ O, take me to my father, King Fortune,” said 
the princess. u The wicked giant who lives in 
this castle brought me here, and every year my 
father has to pay him with bags of gold or the 
monster will kill me.” 

“ He will never harm thee more,” said 
Mansur. “ Come, fair princess,” and he led her 
to his white charger that bore them safely to 
her father. 

King Fortune rejoiced to see his daughter. 
When he heard that the three terrible giants 
were dead he praised Mansur for the bravest 
knight in the world. King Fortune sent his 
men to the giant’s castle and they got all' the 
treasure. But he gave Mansur all the gold 
that he wanted, and, what was far more pre- 
cious, his beautiful daughter, 


THE TWO BROTHERS. 


193 


Mansur thanked King Fortune and said, 
“ Now I am satisfied. I have traveled and seen 
the world, so I will return to my own country 
with thee, my beautiful princess.” 

“ And o’er the hills aiid far away 
Beyond their utmost purple rim. 

Beyond the night, across the day, 

Thro’ all the world she followed him ! ” 

*3 


CHAPTER XV. 


LITTLE MISS HELPFUL. 

OU tell such good stories,” said 
Dorothy, I would like very much 
to hear one to-day.” 

The chair laughed merrily and 
said: “I think I will tell you about Little 
Miss Helpful.” 

Little Miss Helpful was a dear little girl, 
who lived in a dear little cottage with a dear 
little grandmother. In front of the cottage 
was a pretty garden, with balsams and four- 
o’clocks and lazy hollyhocks basking in the 
sunshine. There was also a little bed of crisp 
lettuce, another of tender string beans, and best 
of all, a strawberry patch. 

In the back of the cottage was a large yard 
where a busy mother hen and a brood of twelve 
downy chicks scratched and chuckled all day 
long. The little girl that I am going to tell you 



LITTLE MISS HELPFUL. 


195 


about was no larger than yourself, but she was 
such an industrious little body that every one 
called her Little Miss Helpful. While the chicks 
were just toddling about in the yard, she would 
sit and watch them because a certain black cat 
in the neighborhood had his eye on them and 
longed to get one for his dinner. Sometimes 
she hemmed a kerchief, or made a little duster 
while she was “minding” the chickens, and 
sometimes she read fairy stories all by herself. 
Every day she managed to get a few minutes to 
weed the garden, especially the strawberry patch. 

I cannot tell you about all the steps she 
saved her dear old grandmother. It would 
take too long. I will merely mention the fact 
that she could dust as nicely as a tidy house- 
maid, wipe the dishes so carefully that none got 
broken and she could gather a basket of chips 
for her grandma’s fire in the shortest possible 
time. 

One day she was sitting in the back yard 


196 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ minding ” the chickens. It was dreamy sum- 
mer weather, and soft white clouds floated in the 
blue sky. Suddenly a bluebird lighted on a 
branch over her head and began to sing. The 
little girl listened to the bird and when he had 
finished he flew right down on her head. She 
was very much surprised and put up her 
hand to catch the bird. But he had flown 
away and on her head was a blue silk bonnet 
with long strings. She was so excited that she 
arose from her little chair and lo ! her gingham 
dress disappeared and she had on the most 
beautiful blue silk frock and dear little blue 
satin slippers. 

“ Are you ready ? ” said a voice, and Little 
Miss Helpful saw a beautiful fairy sitting in a 
golden chariot. 

“ Please, good fairy, I cannot leave the chicks,” 
said the little girl ; u a cat might take one.” 

“ She will watch the chickens until you re- 
turn,” said the fairy, and she pointed to a little 


LITTLE MISS HELPFUL. 


197 


girl in her little chair that looked just like Miss 
Helpful. 

Then Little Miss Helpful stepped into the 
golden chariot and was soon driving through the 
woodlands beside the beautiful fairy. 

“ I am going to take you to a party this after- 
noon ; would you like to go % ” 

u Very much indeed, thank you,” replied the 
little girl, and she looked down at her blue silk 
dress and her little satin slippers and smiled 
with pleasure. 

Suddenly they stopped before a great golden 
castle, and in a few minutes Little Miss Helpful 
was walking up the steps with the beautiful fairy. 
When they were inside the castle the fairy 
said : u Now I must leave you, but you can 
find the way yourself. Go down the long hall 
and open the golden door.” 

The fairy disappeared and Miss Helpful 
started to walk down the long hall. As she 
went along she saw a pin on the floor, and being 


198 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


a careful little soul she stopped and picked it 
up. The instant she took the pin from the 
floor it turned into a beautiful fairy who said, 
“ I will bestow upon thee this gift, thou shalt 
always be clean and bright as a new pin.” 

The fairy disappeared when she had said the 
words and Little Miss Helpful continued to 
walk toward the golden door. 

Suddenly she saw a half-wilted rose lying in 
a corner. She picked it up and it turned into a 
beautiful fairy who said, “ Thou shalt be as 
lovely as a rose, and thy helpful ways like its 
fragrance bring delight to all who know thee.” 
This fairy also disappeared and just then the 
little girl found herself before the golden door. 

She opened it and entered a magnificent room 
where beautiful kings and queens were dancing. 
They were all dressed in spangled white robes, 
but Little Miss Helpful had the most beautiful 
dress in the room. 

A handsome prince came forward to meet 


LITTLE MISS HELPFUL. 


199 


Little Miss Helpful and the next minute she 
was dancing around the room with him. 

She was feeling very happy when all at once 
she heard a chicken squeal. “ A cat ! ” cried 
Little Miss Helpful, and she darted for the door, 
ran through the hall and out into the woodlands 
as fast as she could go. The wind was blowing 
and suddenly her blue silk bonnet fell off. She 
never stopped to pick it up, but ran on toward 
her grandmother’s cottage. She never noticed 
in her hurry that the minute her blue bonnet 
came off the silk dress disappeared and she had 
on her old gingham frock again. 

She was quite out of breath when she reached 
the back yard. She hurriedly counted the 
chicks and to her dismay found only eleven. 
One was missing and she could have cried she 
felt so disappointed. She called, “Grandma, 
grandma ! ” 

“ What is it, dearie ? ” said the old lady, com- 
ing to the door. 


m 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“Alas! grandma, one of the chicks is miss- 
ing,” cried the little girl, and two big tears rolled 
down her cheeks. 

“Don’t cry,” said her grandmother, “ but look 
around and see if you can find it. I will watch 
the chickens till you return.” 

Little Miss Helpful walked all around the field, 
calling, “ Chick, chick, come chickey, chickey.” 
“ Perhaps it strayed away,” she said to herself 
and she took the path for the woods and looked 
behind the bushes, but she could not find her 
chicken. All at once she saw a little girl com- 
ing toward her. The girl was swinging a blue 
silk bonnet in her hand and as she came nearer 
Little Miss Helpful saw that it was her cousin, 
Nannie Worthless, who lived in the village. 

“ See,” said Nannie, holding up the blue bon- 
net, “ I found it in the woods and I am going to 
keep it.” 

“ It belongs to me,” cried Little Miss Help- 
ful, “ I lost it a little while ago.” 


LITTLE MISS HELPFUL. 


201 


“ You lost it,” said Nannie with scorn. “ Why, 
you never had a bonnet like this in your 
life.” 

“ You may keep the bonnet, I don’t want it,” 
replied Miss Helpful ; “ but tell me, did you see 
a little chick ? ” 

Nannie laughed loudly and said : 

u Did you lose the chick when you lost the 
bonnet?” 

Then Little Miss Helpful knew that Nannie 
was making fun of her, so she went quietly on 
her way and did not answer, while her cousin 
continued homeward with the beautiful bonnet. 

Little Miss Helpful looked everywhere but 
the chick could not be found, so at last she 
turned her footsteps home, feeling very sad. 

She had almost reached her grandmother’s 
gate, when she met Johnny Wander, a village 
lad. 

“ Have you seen anything of a little chick ? ” 
asked the girl, and Johnny rolled his eyes and 


202 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


said he thought he saw a chick running toward 
the village. 

“ Perhaps it is mine,” cried Miss Helpful, and 
she ran toward the village, but not a trace of 
the lost chicken could be seen. Suddenly she 
heard a loud trumpet call, and all the people 
seemed to be hurrying to the village green. 

u What is the matter ? ” asked Miss Plelpful 
of an old woman she met on the way. 

“ Why, child,” said the old woman, “ don’t you 
know that all the village maidens are assembled 
on the Green by order of the Prince. He is 
going to select a princess. I must hurry to see 
who is the lucky maid ! ” 

Little Miss Helpful thought with a pang 
that she might have been with all the village 
maidens, if it had not been for the lost chicken. 

“ I will go home now to grandma,” said 
the little girl ; “ the black cat must have 
caught it.” 

Just then she reached the village green and 


LITTLE MISS HELPFUL. 


203 


there were all the maidens standing in a row 
waiting for the Prince. 

They looked very pretty, especially Nannie 
Worthless, who wore the blue silk bonnet. 

In a few minutes the Prince drove up in his 
golden chariot and dear Little Miss Helpful 
saw that it was the very Prince that she had 
danced with in the golden castle. But alas ! he 
never looked at her in her old gingham dress. 
He saw Nannie Worthless, and making a low 
courtesy before her, said, u Ah ! I think I have 
seen this bonnet before.” 

Nannie blushed and smiled at the Prince, who 
helped her into the golden chariot. Little Miss 
Helpful stood apart from the crowd and felt 
sad indeed when she realized that the blue 
bonnet had won the Prince’s heart. All at 
once a great gust of wind came along and blew 
the bonnet off Nannie’s head. The handsome 
Prince jumped out of the chariot and ran to 
catch it, Away went the bonnet with the 


204 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Prince after it until all of a sudden it dropped 
right on the head of Little Miss Helpful and 
stayed there as nice as could be. 

Now a strange thing happened. No sooner 
did the blue bonnet touch Little Miss Helpful, 
than her gingham dress changed to the blue 
silk frock and her feet were encased in the dear 
little blue satin slippers again. In fact there 
she stood just as she had appeared in the golden 
castle. 

Everybody was very much surprised, and 
Nannie had to get out of the golden chariot 
before all the people. 

The Prince bowed low before Little Miss 
Helpful, saying, u This is my true princess,” 
and he helped her into his golden chariot. 

The people were all delighted because they 
loved Little Miss Helpful and knew her good- 
ness. The Prince drove through the village 
while all the folks cheered and showed their 
good will. All except Nannie Worthless, who 



The Prince bowed low before Little Miss Helpful, saying, “This is my true 
princess.” — Pag© 204. Little J\hss Dorothy, 




LITTLE MISS HELPFUL. 


m 


was very angry. As the Prince approached 
Little Miss Helpful’s cottage, there stood her 
dear old grandmother at the gate and in her 
hand was the lost chicken. 

u Why, grandma, where did you find the 
chicken ? ” asked the little girl. Her grand- 
mother laughed and said, “ I found it sound 
asleep in my best lace cap.” 


CHAPTER XVI. 


THE WONDERFUL JOURNEY WITH THE SCREEN-GIRL. 

N’T you love to watcli tlie fire ? ” 
said Dorothy. 

u Yes, I do,” answered Ray. 
“ Just see that little fireman 

in the coals ! ” 

“ But do look at that lovely tree in the coals ! ” 
exclaimed Dorothy. 

The children were sitting before a large open 
fire. It was two days before Christmas, and 
Dorothy was on a visit to cousin Ray. 

The screen girl had been listening to them, 
/md after a few minutes she whispered softly : — 
“ Stand close together, children, then draw the 
screen around you and I 7 11 take you far away, 
where you will see wonderful sights.” 

Ray drew the screen around himself and 
Dorothy, and in a few seconds they were mov- 
ing softly somewhere, but of course as the screen 
206 



THE JOURNEY WITH THE SCREEN-GIRL. 207 

was around them they could not see where they 
were going. 

After a long time they stopped moving, the 
screen opened and the children looked about 
them. They were in a beautiful country. The 
ground was covered with snow that gleamed 
and glistened like diamonds, while all the trees 
looked just like Christmas trees. 

u Put on these jackets,” said the screen girl, 
“so you won’t catch cold,” and she wrapped 
them up in white woolly suits that covered them 
from head to foot. “Now, children, you can 
take a walk in Santa Claus land,” and they 
started off, hand in hand, to see the sights. 

The first thing they came to was a lake all 
frozen over, and the ice was a pale yellow color. 
“ O see,” said Pay, stooping down to find two 
little pairs of skates right on the edge of the 
lake. 

“ Let’s put ’em on,” said Dorothy, “ and skate 
around” 


208 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

The children put on the skates, and never 
before did they have such glorious skating. 

“ It’s as smooth as glass,” said Ray ; “ you can 
just fly over it.” 

Just as he said the words Dorothy fell. It 
did not hurt her, as it was only a jolly tumble, 
but it broke a little piece of the ice. 

Ray helped Dorothy up and at the same time 
took up the broken piece of ice and put it in 
his mouth. “ O Dorothy,” said Ray, taking it 
out again, “ take a suck of this ice, it’s perfectly 
lovely.” 

When Dorothy had tasted, she exclaimed, 
“ Why, Ray, it isn’t ice at all, it’s lovely lemon 
candy ! ” It was true ; they were skating on a 
pond of the most delicious lemon candy in the 
world. 

“ Let’s not skate any longer,” said Dorothy, 
“ let’s just sit down and eat it.” 

Down they sat and broke off pieces of the 
ice ? and enjoyed themselves until they couldn’t 


THE JOURNEY WITH THE SCREEN-GIRL. 209 

eat any more. They arose from the pond, and 
when they had taken off their skates, they started 
to walk over the glistening snow. They passed 
several ponds of different-colored ice and every 
one of them was a pond of candy. They walked 
on the ponds to sample each kind and found 
orange, peppermint, checkerberry and many 
other flavors. 

As they walked towards the beautiful trees, 
they came to a very large one. 

“Isn’t it the most beautiful tree you ever 
saw ? ” exclaimed Dorothy. 

“ Yes, it is,” said Ray. “ I wonder who Santa 
Claus means it for ! ” 

“I don’t know,” replied Dorothy, “perhaps 
we’ll find out.” 

“Just see that lovely red sled up there!” 
cried Ray, clapping his hands. “ It’s just what 
I want,” he said with glee. “ O Dorothy, do 
look, it says on the side of it 4 Dart.’ ” 

“ Yes, yes,” answered Dorothy, dancing about. 


210 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY, 

u but look at that beautiful doll near the top ; 
isn’t she lovely ? ” 

“ O Dorothy, look quick ; there’s a little horse 
and wagon.” 

“ I see it,” said the little girl, “it’s right near 
the gingerbread man. And, Ray, just look at 
the Noah’s Ark.” 

“ Did you ever see such big gingerbread 
hearts ? ” exclaimed Ray. “ I’d like to have one 
to eat, wouldn’t you ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Dorothy, “ but I wonder what 
is in the boxes and packages that are all tied 
up with ribbon \ ” 

“Presents,” answered Ray, who was a year 
older and that much wiser than his little 
cousin. 

For a long time the children gazed at the 
beautiful tree, with all its precious burden, and 
every moment new treasures were discovered. 
Then they walked to the next Christmas tree 
and looked at that. When they had seen many 


THE JOURNEY WITH THE SCREEN-GIRL. 211 

of the trees they thought that they would walk 
on and see the other sights. After walking a 
short distance they came to a beautiful snow 
castle. They opened the door, peeped in, and 
what do you suppose they saw ? A long row 
of boxes the whole length of the room. The 
first box was very large, the one next to it was 
a little smaller, the next still smaller, and so on 
until they dwindled down to a tiny box on the 
end. 

“ I wonder what is in them ? ” said Ray with 
curiosity. 

u Open one and see,” replied Dorothy quickly. 

Ray just touched the lid of the large box, 
when up it flew and there jumped out the largest 
Jack-in-the-box the children had ever seen. 

The minute he jumped he grinned at them 
and said “ Rubber.” 

It was so sudden that the children started 
back, but when he disappeared in the box again, 
they laughed loudly and clapped their hands, 


212 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


u I wonder what he meant ? ” said Ray, and 
just then he caught sight of a small rubber but- 
ton, on the side of the box. Ray pressed the 
button and lo ! every Jack in the long row of 
boxes bobbed up with a grin and disappeared in 
the twinkling of an eye. Such a row of grin- 
ning faces made the children laugh harder than 
ever. They walked into another room in the 
castle and found that it was filled with toys of 
all sorts and sizes. The smallest thing was a 
tiny rooster on a monkey’s back, and the largest 
toy was a great horse with a real saddle. 

They passed through the toy-room and came 
to a great closet ; its shelves had stacks of cakes, 
pies and goodies piled high in flaky abundance. 
All sorts of sweets that boys and girls love made 
the little mouths water. The next room they 
entered was filled with picture-books. In the 
center of this picture-book room stood an object 
that looked something like a street hand-organ. 
Over it was written in large letters these words ; — 


THE JOURNEY WITH THE SCREEN-GIRL. 213 


“ MACHINE FOR RHYMES, TURN CRANK AND HAVE 

ONE.” 

“ I like rhymes,” said Dorothy, “ let’s hear 
one.” Ray turned the crank and got the fol- 
lowing : — • 

Said Tommy Tid 
To Johnny Bid, 

“ Let’s run away forever; 

We’ll go to-day 
So far away 

That none will find us ever.” 

• 

So they took hands - 
For far-off lands, 

They climbed the back fence over. 

And never stayed 
For man or maid, 

But reached the field of clpver. 

Said Tommy Tid 
To Johnny Bid, 

<c We’ll sit and rest a minute 
And out he took 
His pocket-book — 

There were two pennies in it. 


214 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Then down they sat, 

And in his hat 

Did Tommy count them oyer. 

Until at last 
These two were fast 
Asleep amid the clover. 

“Turn it again,” said Dorothy, “and we’ll 
have another.” 

The next rhyme was this : — 

A little dog said, “ Bow-wow ! 

I guess that I know how 
To bark and bite. 

To growl and fight 
And chase the spotted cow.” 

The old cow said, “ I knew 
This naughty dog would rue.” 

So she tossed him high 
Right up to the sky, 

Then the old cow said, “ Moo-oo-o.” 

u The poor little dog,” exclaimed Dorothy, 
“ but he shouldn’t have teased the cow. u Let me 
turn the handle this time, and see what I can 


THE JOURNEY WITH THE SCREEN-GIRL. 215 

Ray stepped aside, and when Dorothy took 
the handle she turned out the following: — 

A little maid was sitting on the very lowest stair 
A-combing and a-braiding of her dollie’s golden hair ; 
Her little brother Bobbie was standing in his place 
With a tub of soap and water to wash the dollie’s face. 
But suddenly it happened that over went the tub, 

And Bobbie ran away with it and played f( rub-dubby- 
dub.” 

Rub-dub-a-dub-a-dub, “ Come back here with my tub,” 
His sister cried ; but Bobby hied 
Away and out with hurried feet 
A soldier marching down the street 
And playing on his sister’s tub. 

Rub— rub — rub — rub — rub-dub-a-dub. 

“ That will do for jingles,” said Ray. “ Sup- 
pose we look in some other room.” They left 
the picture-books and the machine for rhymes 
and walked to another door. A large sign over 
it read : — 

“ OFFICE OF SANTA CLAUS. 

NO ADMITTANCE EXCEPT ON BUSINESS. 

THIS IS MY BUSY DAY.” 


216 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ He must be terribly busy,” said Ray, “ we’d 
better not go in ; he might not like it, you know.” 

They turned away, and as they were a little 
tired of the castle they decided to go outside 
again. When their feet touched the sparkling, 
snow Ray pointed to a hill a short distance 
away saying, “ We will climb that hill and see 
the view.” 

“All ready,” said Dorothy, and away they 
started. 

As they were going up the hill Ray took up 
a handful of the snow and put it in his mouth. 
What do you suppose it was ? Not snow at all, 
but ice-cream, a whole hill of it. 

Of course they had to rest right then and 
there, so down they sat and refreshed themselves 
with as much ice-cream as they could eat. 

“ What a wonderful place Santa Claus Land 
is,” said Dorothy, “ the ponds are candy, the 
trees all Christmas trees, and the hills made of 


ice-cream. 


THE JOURNEY WITH THE SCREEN-GIRL. 217 

“Well, you know,” said Ray, “Santa needs so 
much of everything because he has to supply 
the world.” 

“This is the sweetest ice-cream I’ve ever 
tasted, don’t you think so ? ” 

“Yes,” answered Ray, “ but I think I’ve had 
enough, haven’t you ? ” 

“ Ye-es,” assented Dorothy, taking one more 
delicious mouthful. 

“ Now let us climb to the top of the hill,” said 
Ray helping his little cousin to rise. 

They reached the top of Ice-Cream hill and 
what do you think they found ! A great ! red ! 
candy ! double-runner ! 

“ O ! ” said Ray clapping his hands, “ let us get 
on it and coast down-hill.” 

He got in front to steer, while Dorothy sat 
behind and held on with both hands. The 
double-runner started and away they went down 
Ice-Cream hill. When they reached the foot of 
the hill there was a candy pond (peppermint 


213 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


flavor) and right across the pond swift as a bird 
they sped to the other side. Here the screen 
girl was waiting to take them home. 

Now comes the most wonderful part of this 
story. 

On Christmas morning, when Dorothy and 
Kay went into the parlor, what do you suppose 
they saw ? The very Christmas tree that they 
had seen away up in Santa Claus Land. The 
lovely doll on top was for Dorothy and the red 
sled w Dart ” was for Kay. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


* QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER. 

LEASE may I have another piece 
of plum -cake ? ” asked Ray. 

“No, dear,” answered Aunt 
Polly. “ I am afraid you have 
had more than is good for you already.” 

“ Just one little, teeney, weeney piece,” 
pleaded Ray. 

“ No, dear, not any more to-day.” 

When Aunt Polly said these last words in 
her firm, pleasant voice, Ray’s sunny face 
clouded. I am sorry to say that he pouted and 
did not look at all like the kind of boy he 
really was. 

You must know that he was visiting dear 
Aunt Polly again, and he was very fond of her 
delicious plum-cake. But like many other little 
boys and a great many big ones he wanted 
more than was good for him, and Aunt Polly 



220 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


gently and wisely refused. I would not like 
to tell you how he hung his head, thrust his 
hands into his pocket and scuffled out of the 
room, because I do not like to draw disagree- 
able pictures. And yet, that is just what he 
did, and muttered to himself as he went, 
“ stingy.” 

Aunt Polly heard him, and looked very much 
hurt, but Ray did not seem to mind. He 
walked out of the house, into the beautiful 
June sunlight and wandered off, all by himself. 

He had walked quite a distance before he 
decided to sit on the warm grass and rest a 
minute. 

“ When I’m a man, I’ll have all the plum- 
cake I want,” said Ray to himself, “ and I shan’t 
be stingy like Aunt Polly.” 

“ Poor Aunt Polly ! ” whispered a wee voice in 
Ray’s ear. 

u Ray jumped to his feet to see who had 
spoken, but he could not see anybody. 


A QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER. 221 

“ Who said ‘ poor Aunt Polly ’ ? ” asked Pay, 
looking all around him. No one answered, so 
he sat on the grass again. 

“Dear, good, kind Aunt Polly,” whispered 
the wee voice again. Once more Pay jumped 
to his feet but could not see the least sign of 
anybody. i 

All at once, as he looked around, he realized 
that he was in a strange place. He had wan- 
dered into Aunt Polly’s old-fashioned garden 
with its wealth of roses and its quaint beds of 
four-o’clocks and mignonette. 

At least Ray supposed he v r as in her garden, 
but, as his e} 7 es rested on the strange sight 
before him, he said to himself, “ Surely this is 
not Aunt Polly’s beautiful garden.” 

It looked dark and gloomy, and strangest of 
all, the flowers were all a peculiar shade of blue. 

Ray walked to some rosebushes, and could 
scarcely believe his eyes, when he discovered 
great, blue roses. 


222 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ Who ever heard of a blue rose ? ” said Ray, 
stooping to smell of one. 

There was not the least odor, and the little 
boy was disappointed. 

a 01d, blue roses,” muttered Ray. w I’d rather 
have red roses that scent the whole garden 
with their perfume.” 

He tried some of the other flowers, and found 
the same story to be told of them. They 
were blue in color, and had not the slightest 
odor. 

Ray walked all over the garden. He was 
getting very tired of the same blue shade to 
everything, when he happened to spy a narrow 
staircase, near the garden wall. 

It led downward and Ray, without thinking, 
walked down the tiny stairs. 

At the very end of the staircase he came to 
a small, iron door, which, like everything else, 
had a bluish tinge. 

Ray opened the door and walked into a room 


A QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER. 


223 


that was fitted up with shelves and a grand 
show-case. It looked very much like a store. 

In the center of the room sat a little old man, 
dressed in blue, with a queer, blue cap on the 
top of his head. 

“Well, my boy, what can I do for you to- 
day,” asked the little blue man, jumping to his 
feet and making a low bow to Ray. 

“ Nothing, thank you,” said Ray, looking 
curiously around. 

“ Then you don’t care to buy,” said the little 
blue man, and it seemed to Ray that his whole 
appearance became a deeper blue, and he seemed 
disappointed. 

u What have you to sell ? ” asked Ray. 

“ Manners,” answered the little man quickly. 

“ Manners ! ” repeated Ray, a how funny, I 
didn’t know that manners were for sale.” 

“ O yes, they are,” was the answer ; “ and some 
are very cheap indeed.” 

“ How much ? ” asked Ray, wondering. 

«/ 1 o 


224 LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 

“ I have heard,” said the little blue man, “ of 
people selling their manners for a piece of plum- 
cake.” 

Eay was very quiet for several minutes, when 
he heard this. Suddenly he said, u Are the man- 
ners that you have to sell in those boxes ? (Eay 
pointed to the show-case, where several gaudy 
boxes stood in a row.) 

u Yes,” replied the little storekeeper, u that 
is where I keep some of them.” 

“ And when people buy them, what do they 
do with them,” asked the boy. 

u Well, my boy, they take them out of the 
boxes and put them on, very much as they do 
their clothes. These manners are very cheap, 
they are not the best kind, of course.” 

“ Where do you keep the best kind ? ” asked 
the child. 

The little blue man’s face brightened. He 
walked behind the show-case and disappeared 
for a minute. 


A QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER. 225 

He returned with a very tiny box of no par- 
ticular color. It was a sort of brownish green, 
but the shade was so quiet and restful to the 
eyes that one liked to look at it. 

He held it before Ray and raised the lid. It 
was only for a second, but there was something 
so bright and beautiful in the tiny box that 
Ray’s eyes sparkled and he cried : 

“O let me have this box — I’d like to buy 
these manners ! ” 

The little blue man smiled and said : 

“But this box contains good manners, and 
they are not for sale.” 

Ray felt terribly disappointed. There was 
something so pleasing and altogether delightful 
about the little box that he wanted it very 
much. 

“Are you quite sure that you don’t want 
any of these other boxes?” asked the little 
storekeeper. 

“ No, thank you,” replied Ray. “ I don’t care 
15 


226 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


for them, after seeing this little box of good 
manners.” 

“ I’m very glad to hear you say so,” said the 
blue man, u because I don’t get any profit from 
these boxes, and still I sell more of them in one 
week than I do of the other kind in a month.” 

“ I’d like to have the box of good manners,” 
said Kay, “ but if it is not for sale I don’t see 
how I can get it.” 

u I’ll tell you,” said the little man ; u you can 
earn it. It is a fairy box, and can do the most 
wonderful things. I have known this little box 
to get into a boy’s pocket and thence into his 
very skin. It settles up near his heart in some 
good place and there it remains, bringing him 
all sorts of good fortune.” 

Kay looked eagerly at the little box. 

“ Listen,” continued the little storekeeper, 
u and I’ll tell you a true story about this won- 
derful little box.” — 

Once there was a little, ragged boy named 


A QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER. 227 

Hans, so poor that his good mother could not 
afford to buy him shoes. All day long he 
trudged, weary and footsore, from door to door 
to sell mats that he braided from straw. 

Sometimes people were kind and smiled at 
his bright little face, even though they could 
not buy the mats. 

A smile made Hans happy for a whole day. 
Sometimes people did not buy, but they gave 
him a nice bowl of milk and a piece of bread. 

This made Hans happy for two whole days. 
And sometimes people bought his mats and 
praised them as they put a piece of money in 
his honest brown hands. 

This made Hans so very happy that he for- 
got about his poverty and his sore, bare feet, 
and he would run all the way home to give the 
money to his mother. 

But one weary day, Hans wandered into a 
strange village to sell his mats, where the peo- 
ple were so poor that they could not afford a 


228 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


smile ; so selfish that they would not give a 
hungry boy a drink of milk, and so mean that 
they would not look at his mats, although they 
were rich and lived in grand houses. 

Poor little Hans turned homeward after a 
day of disappointments. He did not feel at all 
happy, and his poor, bare feet were very sore. 

Just outside the village he met an old man 
carrying a heavy basket, who was so feeble 
that he had to stop every now and then to rest. 

When Hans saw the old man he forgot all 
about himself and his sore bare feet. 

“Let me help you, sir,” said Hans, and the 
old man was very thankful. Hans carried the 
basket for the feeble man until they reached a 
great castle. 

The old man stopped at its gate and said : 

“Thank you, boy, and here is a piece of gold 
for your trouble.” 

Hans touched his faded cap and thanked the 
old man. Pull of joy, he put the piece cf geld 


A QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER. 229 

in his pocket. It was more than he could earn 
in a whole year selling his mats. 

“You see Hans had the little box of good 
manners very near his heart, and it brought him 
good fortune. 

“ Here is another story of the wonderful little 
box.”— 

Once upon a time in a magnificent castle 
lived a princess. She was so beautiful that 
many kings and rich lords had sought her hand 
in marriage, but she had refused them all. 

One day the Princess had a grand birthday 
party, and everybody, rich and poor, was invited. 
Many kings and rich lords came to do honor to 
the beautiful Princess. 

There was beautiful music in the castle gar- 
den, and after a while the people took hands 
and began a merry dance. 

The beautiful Princess, surrounded by lords 
and ladies, looked on, much pleased, while the 
good people enjoyed themselves. 


230 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


All at once an old woman, who had been 
standing alone, watching the dancers, loosened 
the red handkerchief that she wore on her head. 
In an instant the wind blew it off and wafted 
it about till it fell at the very feet of the 
Princess. 

Many lords and ladies had seen the old hand- 
kerchief, but not one of them attempted to pick 
it up. The beautiful Princess was just going 
to reach for it herself, when a certain great king 
saw the action and tossed the old woman’s 
handkerchief aside with his foot. 

Just then a young man emerged from the 
crowd, and going straight to the place where 
the red handkerchief was hidden, said : 

u Pardon me, Princess,” as he brushed aside 
her skirt. Taking up the old woman’s handker- 
chief as carefully as if it were made of the 
finest silk, he carried it to the owner. Bowing 
before the old woman, he said gently : a Allow 
me, madarne, it is yours, I think.” 


A QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER. 231 

Many who had laughed in scorn at the poor 
woman’s loss now looked on in amazement. 

When she thanked the young man, he bowed 
as politely as if it were the Princess, instead of 
a poor old woman. 

The Princess (whose face flushed with pleas- 
ure when she saw the kindly act), inquired the 
name of the gallant young man. 

“ He has traveled from a distant country and is 
called the Prince of the Golden Heart,” said one. 

“ He is Prince of my heart,” said the Princess, 
and they were both happy ever after. 

“ The Prince, my boy, was a true gentleman, 
and he carried the magic box of good manners 
inside his skin.” 

“ O please tell me how I can earn it,” cried 
Ray, when the little blue man had finished. 

“ Well, let me think a minute,” said the little 
man. 

“ By the way, have you said or done anything 
to-day to hurt anybody’s feelings?” 


232 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Ray’s conscience began to pinch a little as he 
answered : “ I’m afraid I was very rude to 

Aunt Polly. I wanted another piece of plum- 
cake, and when she refused I scuffled my feet 
and said 4 stingy.’ ” 

“ Dear, good, kind Aunt Polly,” said the 
little man in a wee voice, and then Ray knew who 
had whispered in his ear in the blue garden. 

“ Do you like blue roses ? ” asked the store- 
keeper. 

“ No, sir, I do not care for them,” replied Ray. 

“ Why ? ” asked the blue man. 

u In the first place,” said Ray, u because they 
have no sweet perfume.” 

“ Ah ! ” said the little man, “ that is also true 
of little children, who are rude and sell their 
good manners. They are like blue roses and 
have no perfume.” 

“Now, Ray,” continued the queer little store- 
keeper, “ who is it that always lias a pleasant 
smile and a kind word for everybody ? ” 


A QUEER LITTLE STOREKEEPER. 233 
“ Aunt Polly,” said Ray. 
w Who is it that knits nice, warm mittens for 
a little boy called Ray.” 

w Aunt Polly,” was the answer. 

“Who is it makes the nicest plum-cake in 
the world and always gives some to a little boy 
called Ray.” 

“ Aunt Polly,” cried the boy. 

“ Who is it tells such delightful stories and 
has a heart so big that there is a little corner in 
it for every child in the wide world ? ” 

“My Aunt Polly,” shouted Ray, jumping to 
his feet, “ and I’m going to tell her how rude I’ve 
been and how sorry I am for behaving badly 
to the best auntie in the world.” 

He started to run, but the little blue man 
cried out, “ Wait a minute.” 

The queer little storekeeper put the charm- 
ing little box inside Ray’s pocket, who never 
stopped running until he reached Aunt Polly’s 
sitting-room. 


m 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


He knocked gently and her cheery voice 
said, “Come in.” 

Like a little gentleman Ray walked over to 
Aunt Polly and said : “ I’m sorry, auntie, for 
having had such bad manners this morning. 
AVill you forgive me for being so impolite ? ” 
“Yes, dear,” said Aunt Polly with a kiss. 
And just then Ray felt so happy that he knew 
the little box had settled close to his heart. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


A PAIR OF OLD SHOES. 

ET’S cuddle up in the Talking 
Chair,” said Dorothy, one wet 
afternoon, “and perhaps we’ll 
hear a new story.” 

“I’m ready,” cried Ray squeezing in beside 
his little cousin. 

“You don’t look quite comfortable, children,” 
said Aunt Polly smiling. “ I’ll tell you what 
we’ll do,” she continued, “let me sit in the Talk- 
ing Chair ; Dorothy can sit on my lap and Ray 
on the little hassock at my feet. Then perhaps 
the chair will whisper a new story to me.” 

“ I feel something tickling my ear now,” said 
Aunt Polly, when they were all settled, and 
she told this story about 

A PAIR OF OLD SHOES. 

Once upon a time in a far, northern country 

lived a little boy named Lars. His home was 

235 



236 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


a rude cottage on the seashore, but it was a 
very happy one to Lars, because it contained 
all that he loved — his good father, who was a 
great fisherman, and his thrifty mother who 
knitted his warm socks. 

Day after day Lars watched the great ocean 
and sailed tiny ships on its blue surface. He 
played hide-and-seek among the rocks and 
listened to the cry of the sea-birds in their 
flight. 

He held beautiful shells close to his ear to 
hear the sound of breakers imprisoned there by 
sea-fairies and every delight that a fisher-boy 
loves was known to Lars. 

Among other things that he liked to do was 
this: — he would take a small piece of wood 
and stretch fishing lines or twine of any kind 
from end to end, making a sort of rude fiddle. 

Then he would play on the cords and enjoyed 
the sounds very much. 

One day the father of Lars found an old 


A PAIR OF OLD SHOES. 


237 


violin that had been saved from a wrecked ship. 
He brought it home to his little boy, who 
danced with delight when he saw it. From 
that day Lars was a very busy boy. He sat 
on the rocks and played on the old violin, to 
his heart’s content. 

He had listened to the sea-birds so long that 
he could make their cries out, and his ear was 
so acute that he could imitate the moaning of 
the north wind. 

When Lars grew older his fame as a fiddler 
had spread among the fisher-folk far and 
wide. 

He played for them at every marriage feast 
and merry-making, and the good people rejoiced 
at his skill. 

But his own people were very poor. His 
father was growing old and his mother’s 
busy fingers w r ere not so active as they had 
been. 

Lars told his dear violin that he wanted to 


238 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


do something to help them. He played the 
story on the old fiddle, one moonlight night 
until it dropped out of his hands and he fell 
fast asleep among the rocks, on the beach. 

Then the mermaids came and whispered 
wonderful murmurs in his ear and sang of 
wealth and power beyond the ocean. 

They touched his ears, kissed his hands and 
one tuned the cords of the old violin. 

And Lars awoke a new being. He caught 
up his violin and hurried to the cottage to tell 
of his wonderful dream. 

“And I’m going away,” said Lars, “far 
away to play for strange people, and perhaps I 
can earn some money for you, my father and 
mother.” 

The day came that Lars was to start out 
into the great world. When he was ready his 
father and mother appeared with a pair of shoes 
for him. Lars was overjoyed. 

He put on the shoes, and taking his old violin 


A PAIR OF OLD SHOES. 


239 


under his arm, bade his good parents fare- 
well. 

He had not walked very far, when he met 
an old woman, bent with age. 

“ Where are you going, son ? ” asked the old 
woman. 

“To seek my fortune, good mother,” Lars 
answered. 

“ And prithee where did you get the shoes ? ” 
asked the dame. 

“ From my good parents,” was the reply. 

“ Ah ! ” said the old woman, “ you will never 
know the struggle they have had. They did 
not send you out into the world barefooted. 
Never forget them, my son, and never part with 
the shoes — if you do your good fortune will 
depart forever.” 

Then she disappeared and Lars continued his 
journey. He traveled in many strange cities. 
At first he played on the streets and the people 
passing by stopped to listen to the wonderful 


240 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


music. They filled his cap with pieces of money 
and wished him good fortune. After awhile 
men came to Lars and asked him to play in a 
great theater. 

Crowds of people, rich and poor came to hear 
him. Lars played as never before. He was a 
little homesick, and instead of rows of strange 
faces in a grand theater he saw a group of 
fisher-folk near his own cottage. 

He made music for them to dance, and the 
heart of the great audience before him bounded 
to the measure and their feet tingled to quaint 
steps. When his fisher-folk grew tired he 
played soft music for them ; the swish of the 
tide lapping the rocks, the call of the sea-birds 
and the moaning of the north wind. 

When he had finished, the great audience sat 
spellbound, while Lars shuffled off behind the 
stage. Then the people jumped to their feet. 
Men shouted, women wept ; never had they 
heard such wonderful music. 


A PAIR OP OLD SHOES. 


241 

“ Men gave Lars so much gold that he was 
dazzled and wondered what he would do with 
it all. But he did not forget the old folks, and 
a good part of his gold found its bright way to 
the cottage in the far northern country. If he 
did forget sometimes there was always the shoes 
to remind him, and Lars wore them constantly 
and lovingly. 

Now it so happened that a certain rich wo- 
man heard of the wonderful genius of Lars. 

She invited him to play in one of her numer- 
ous palaces and offered him more money than he 
had ever earned. 

Lars played at her palace and was covered 
with new honors. Other wealthy people fol- 
lowed her example, invited Lars to their man- 
sions and he found himself courted and admired 
on all sides. 

At first he did not care for it at all, and went 
only because it brought him gold for the far- 

off cottage. 

16 


242 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


After awhile the smiles of rich men and the 
soft words of beautiful women became as pre- 
cious to the great musician, as the gold. 

Then he began to feel dissatisfied with him- 
self. He thought less of the far-off cottage and 
more of the glittering palaces. 

He began to find fault with everything con- 
nected with himself, and most of all with the 
pair of old shoes that his parents had given him. 

One night he was going to play in the palace 
of a king. When he was all ready to start he 
happened to notice his shoes. 

“ They are old-fashioned,” said Lars, “ and 
people will laugh at them.” 

Poor, foolish Lars ! He took them off and put 
them away in a corner. Then he encased his 
feet in very stylish shoes and went to the 
palace. But the new shoes, although very fine 
to look at, pinched his feet and made Lars feel 
awkward and uncomfortable. 

The old shoes had always been so easy that 


A PAIR OF OLD SHOES. 


243 


they seemed a part of himself and he never 
knew he had them on. But with the new shoes 
it was all different. He could not keep his 
thoughts away from them, and the night he 
played before the king his mind was filled with 
the new shoes that pinched his feet, instead of 
his beloved music. 

For the first time in his career Lars was a failure. 
Other failures followed, for the new shoes tried 
him sorely. As time went on people became 
disappointed. When he first came among them, 
they had found Lars charming because he was 
natural. That was the time he wore the old shoes. 
The people had never noticed these shoes that 
Lars wore with such ease and grace. Now they 
began to notice the new shoes. Men nudged 
each other and ladies smiled behind their fans. 

* One by one they dropped him out of their 
lives, and one morning Lars awoke to find him- 
self quite alone and almost as poor as when he 
had left the northern cottage. 


244 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


It was a long time since he had thought of 
the dear, northern cottage and a mighty longing 
came into his heart to see it. 

It was a long time since he had seen the pair 
of old shoes. He remembered them now and 
he went to the corner where he had left them, 
but they had disappeared. 

He searched for them everywhere, but they 
could not be found. 

He traveled day and night, and reached the 
dear, northern cottage. It was empty. The 
pair of old shoes, dear old shoes that had been 
left in the corner so long had disappeared. A 
strange loneliness crept into the heart of Lars. 
He threw himself on the shore of the great 
ocean and cried himself to sleep. 

The North -wind found him and kissed his 
cheek. She is a great, beautiful woman with 
long, flowing hair and she likes well Lars’ 
northern country. 

At first Lars shivered at her touch, but it did 


A PAIR OF OLD SHOES. 245 

not sting like the ridicule of the great world he 
had lived in. 

After a while the kiss of the North-wind was 
a magic touch to Lars. He became a boy again. 
He nestled on the back of the North- wind and 
played with her flowing hair. He drew it in 
shining threads to his finger-tips and made 
music as he used to do on his old violin. 

“ What would you like to have more than all 
else in the world ? ” whispered the North- wind 
caressingly. 

“The pair of old shoes,” murmured Lars. 

The North-wind sighed, and rising in the 
air with Lars nestling among her tresses, swept 
over the house-tops, peeking down the chimneys 
and into cracks and crevices. 

And on cold nights when little boys and girls 
are warm in bed, and they hear the North-wind 
go sweeping by, they must know that Little 
Lars is playing on her hair and sighing for “ a 
pair of old shoes.” 


CHAPTER XIX. 


JOCK O’ THE PIPES. 

NE summer afternoon the Talking 
Chair told the following story to 
Aunt Polly, who told it to Dor- 
othy, who told it to me : — 

Once upon a time in a bright country lived 
the most beautiful little queen in all the world. 
She was called Content, and while she reigned, 
there was great happiness among her people. 

Indeed, they were so very happy that a cer- 
tain wicked old woman who rides through the 
air on a broomstick grew very jealous. 

She did not like to see anybody happy, so 
she began to plot and plan a way to get rid of 
Queen Content. 

“ If I could only drive her out of the hearts 
of these simple people all would be well,” said 
the old woman. Then she went about amoim 
the people doing all sorts of mischief ; telling 



JOCK O’ THE PIPES. 


247 


stories, spoiling their lovely gardens, and predict- 
ing all kinds of misfortune. But in spite of all 
her evil doings the people cherished Queen Con- 
tent, and they scarcely noticed the wicked old 
woman. 

At last she grew very angry. She took her 
old broom and swept great clouds of dust that 
filled the good people’s eyes, so that they could 
not see clearly at all. Then they became dis- 
satisfied, and one day they sent their beautiful 
Queen away and put another in her place. 

The new queen began her reign with a great 
flourish of trumpets. She was not beautiful at 
all, and was called Queen Discord. 

She found fault with everything and was 
never at rest. Costly festivals, cruel wars, and 
foolish undertakings were all the time going 
on, and the people became poorer and more 
unhappy every day. 

When the old woman on the broomstick saw 
this state of affairs, she laughed long and loud, 


248 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


and sailed away to do mischief elsewhere. In 
the meantime Queen Content had moved into a 
small cottage on the outskirts of the village. It 
contained only two rooms, but in the lovely 
Queen’s eyes it was as. dear as any palace. The 
beautiful flower fields were her gardens and she 
rejoiced in the still walks of the green woods. 

Sometimes rumors reached her of the doings 
of Queen Discord, but they never disturbed her 
peace of mind. 

One dark night a traveler knocked at Queen 
Content’s door. He was a rollicking, roving 
merry lad, and his name was Jock. 

When Queen Content opened the door Jock 
made a low bow, saying, “ I have traveled far 
and am weary ; may I enter your cottage ? ” 

“ Whoever knocks at my door may find rest. 
Enter and welcome,” was the answer. 

Jock entered and Queen Content gave him a 
good supper. It was only bread and milk, to be 
sure, but no dainties at the table of a king ever 


JOCK O’ THE PIPES. 


2J9 


tasted better. And although the bed that Jock 
slept on was made of straw, he had never 
rested so well in his life. 

The next morning Jock continued his journey 
to the village. He had not been there very 
long when he discovered the true state of af- 
fairs. 

He realized that the foolish people had put 
away the most beautiful queen in the world for 
the most disagreeable. 

u I’m going to help these foolish people,” said 
Jock to himself, and he shook all over with 
merriment at the mere thought of doing them a 
good turn. 

Straight he went to the palace of Queen Dis- 
cord and begged an audience with her most ob- 
noxious majesty. 

“ What do you want, good-for-nothing ? ” said 
the haughty Queen, frowning on Jock, who 
stood cap in hand with a quizzical look on his 
merry face. 


250 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“I have good news for your majesty,” said 
Jock with a grin. 

“ Good news ! ” thundered the horrid queen. 

u It is against our laws. You shall be thrown 
into prison ; we don’t want people who go 
about telling good news.” 

Jock’s grin broadened, but he saw his mis- 
take and quickly added : “ Ah ! your majesty, I 
have just traveled through your uncle’s king- 
dom — King Hate — and I found nothing there 
but strife and confusion and bitterness of spirit. 
Your people are so much happier that I was 
only going to remind you of the fact. Surely 
that is good news.” 

When Jock made this little speech the Queen’s 
eyes (they were great, green jealous eyes) flashed, 
but she was silent for a moment. 

u Strife, confusion, and bitterness of spirit.” 
The words were sweet as honey to Queen Dis- 
cord’s taste, and she repeated them over and 
over to herself. They are just what I want, 


JOCK 0 ? THE PIPES. 


251 


thought the queen, and she regarded Jock with 
great interest, saying : 

“Tell me how to stir up strife, confusion and 
bitterness of spirit in this old kingdom and 
your reward shall be great.” 

“I know that it will,” thought Jock grinning 
all over. Aloud he said, “ Give me three days 
and I’ll return with something that will surely 
please your most sea-green majesty.” 

So saying he almost doubled in two with 
laughter, and tossing his bright cap into 
the air, left the presence of the frowning 
queen. 

Straight to the heart of the merry green 
woods ran Jock. He played leap-frog with elves 
and danced with wood-nymphs. They all loved 
him because he was so merry, and he feared no 
one because his heart was innocent as that of a 
little child. 

By and by Jock told about his conversation 
with Queen Discord, and when he had finished 


252 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


sucli a merry shout went up from every elf, 
wood-nymph and fairy that the very leaves 
shook and an acorn fell to the ground. 

“Now you must help me,” said Jock; “you 
must tell me, good friends, what to do.” 

“ ’Tis the pipes, ’tis the pipes that you want,” 
said a jolly elf, “ that is the remedy for Queen 
Discord.” 

Then they all whispered something in Jock’s 
ear, which made him shake all over with mirth. 
Every elf, wood-nymph and fairy had a little 
secret for him, and they told it so softly that 
even a gray squirrel who listened with all his 
might could not hear. 

When they had told the secret they were 
merrier than ever. They all took hands and 
with Jock in the middle, danced a jolly ring 
around him. 

“Jock o’ the pipes, Jock o’ the pipes,” sang 
the merry elves, as they tripped round and 
round, stopping now and then to whisper some 


JOCK O’ THE PIPES. 


253 


new idea. Jock laughed himself to sleep. Then 
the fairies left him. 

When Jock awoke, he rubbed his eyes and 
looked around him. His late adventure was still 
fresh in his mind and he laughed aloud. Just 
then he spied a small bag made of skin, on the 
ground at his feet. 

“ I know what that is for,” said Jock with a 
broad grin. He recalled the secrets that the 
merry elves had whispered. 

Jock slung the bag across his shoulder and 
away he ran out of the woods with peals of 
laughter waiting on his steps. 

He traveled fast and at moonlight stood near 
a fence in a big city laughing softly to himself. 

Suddenly strange sounds filled the still air. 

Jock looked up and beheld a band of cats on 
the fence. At first he thought they were merely 
giving a concert to the good people of the 
neighborhood, but very soon he saw his mistake. 

As he looked they began to slap each other 


254 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


right in the face, with uplifted paws and spat 
at each other with angry jaws. Suddenly a 
battered, yellow, one-eyed, tailless Tommy got 
his back up about something and cried like a 
baby. His granddaughter rebuked him with a 
gentle scratch. Then there was a rush, and in- 
stead of thirty-two cats in a line there were 
thirty-two cats in a ball. And it wasn’t football 
either. 

There were howls, shrieks, moans, and cat-calls. 
In the very midst of it all Jock opened his bag. 

In the twinkling of an eye the fighting cats 
dropped into the bag, which shut up tight again, 
and Jock continued his journey. 

But he was laughing so hard that he had to 
stand a moment to recover himself. 

A little farther on he heard loud barking. 

w ’Tis the watch-dog’s honest bark,” quoted 
Jock ; but just then he heard a terrible uproar 
and he realized his mistake. 

He came upon a crowd of snapping, snarling, 


JOCK 0 ? THE PIPES. 


255 


barking curs. He listened to their disputes for 
three minutes. “ Ha-a, now I see,” said Jock 
with a chuckle ; “ these dogs, that I supposed 
were honest watch-dogs, are all politicians. 
’Tis a meeting of their common council.” 

Jnst then the chairman gave a fierce bark, 
whereupon all the others howled in concert 
and made a spring for the chairman’s collar. 
When the dismal yells were at the very worst 
Jock opened his bag. In a second every bark- 
ing, snapping, snarling dog went head first into 
it. Not another sound out of them. Jock 
laughed heartily and hurried on. 

You must not forget, little reader, that it 
was a fairy bag, and no matter how much went 
into it, it did not get an inch larger or an ounce 
heavier. In his path Jock met many other oc- 
cupants for his bag. A scolding wife, a grouty 
husband, a croaking gossip all found their way 
into the wonderful bag, and after each addition 
Jock was merrier than ever. 


256 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


He passed a church and heard music. 

“ That’s in my line,” said Jock with a grin, 
and he stole softly into the choir. The female 
soprano had the floor and the ceiling too, while 
a long-suffering congregation tried not to look 
grieved. 

Just as she reached a top note with a shiver- 
ing little curleycue attached, Jock saw a 
nervous brother clutch his seat and a sym- 
pathetic sister gasp. That note had been 
issued just thirty-seven years and Jock had come 
to collect it. The little bag opened and plumb 
into it went the shrieking soprano. 

It was several minutes before Jock recovered 
from the fit of merriment that followed the last 
disappearance. Then he went on. 

In the meantime he bagged the piano next 
door, the cornet across the street, the concertina 
up-stairs and a few other simple but effective 
species, including, “ dot leetle German band.” 

“ It is useless, I cannot go another step until 


JOCK O’ THE PIPES. 


257 


I have had my laugh out,” said Jock as he sat 
himself down on the steps of a great building 
and shook all over for a good ten minutes. 

In the midst of his hilarity, he heard a voice. 
It jarred him. “ That’s a school marm address- 
ing her pupils,” quoth Jock. For a second he 
made a wry face, then his eyes twinkled, and he 
arose and stole into the school-room, hiding be- 
hind a great globe. 

The teacher had forgotten how to talk in 
natural tones and was yelling in an A sharp 
and D flat voice. 

“The poor children,” sighed Jock, looking 
serious for one second. Then he grinned, 
opened the bag and the unnatural tones vanished 
right into it. 

Continuing his journey he caught, “ Annie 
Ould R-r-rags ” and all her relations. 

Suddenly Jock found himself in a western 
city and was delighted to hear that a meeting of 

birds was in progress, for the elation and ele- 
*7 


253 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


vation of their sex (they were all ladies, by 
the way). Jock loved the ladies, so he stole 
softly in to their meeting. But oh, what a shock 
did little Jock get ! The birds were having a 
terrible battle with their tongues and Jock was 
so surprised that he even forgot about his bag. 

It was all on account of a poor little bird 
who wanted to attend the meeting and would 
not be permitted to. And why ? Because she 
was black and the other birds were white (out- 
side). 

“ But I thought this meeting was good of all 
birds,” ventured one fair-minded little creature. 
Whereupon there was a storm of wrath and 
scorn. This brought Jock to his senses. 
Cautious, as a good fisherman, for birds have 
wings, Jock opened his bag, and every unjust, 
discordant vibration was swallowed up. 

“I’m a bit w^eary now,” said Jock with a 
chuckle, “ so I’ll return without looking farther.” 

So saying, he hurried along and stopped up 


JOCK O’ THE PIPES. 


259 


his ears, so that he would not hear any more 
discord. 

That night Jock slept in the merry green 
woods with the fairy bag for a pillow. 

The elves came when he was dreaming and 
examined the contents of the bag. 

“ It will do very well,” said a jolly elf, and he 
attached two tiny pipes to the top of Jock’s 
bag. 

The elves reveled all night and whispered 
new secrets in Jock’s ear. When the first streak 
of dawn came through the trees they hurried 
away to fairyland, but not before the jolly elf 
dropped a small chain at Jock’s feet. 

Bright and smiling Jock awoke. 

u It is the third day,” sang Jock as he washed 
his merry face in a buttercup of dew. 

“ Now I must hurry to the Castle,” said he, 
stooping to pick up his bag. 

All at once he noticed the pipes, which made 
him shake all over with mirth. 


200 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


u It looks for all the world like bagpipes now,” 
cried Jock, :c and maybe it is a new kind.” 

Then he spied the chain, which he slipped 
into his pocket. 

“ O that jolly elf, he never forgets anything,” 
said Jock, and just then some merry recollection 
of the jolly elf flashed into Jock’s mind and he 
rolled over and over with laughter. 

Suddenly he jumped to his feet, took up his 
pipes and was soon out of the woods. 

When he reached the castle he found Queen 
Discord on her throne, surrounded by a host of 
unwilling followers. 

Jock approached the throne, bowed low and 
said : “ ’Tis the pipes, ’tis the pipes that you 
want. That is the remedy for Queen Discord.” 
So saying he slipped the chain out of his pocket 
and presented it to the Queen, who immedi- 
ately fastened it around her neck. Quick as a 
flash Jock’s deft fingers attached the chain to 
the pipes. 


JOCK O’ THE PIPES. 261 

Queen Discord arose from her throne and be- 
gan to speak. But horrors ! no sooner did she 
open her mouth than the pipes began to play — • 
and you know what was in that bag. The 
most awful, horrid, harsh, discordant sounds 
rent the air and the people fled in terror. 

When Queen Discord saw the effect of the 
pipes, she tried to pull them off. But they 
were fastened around her neck by a fairy chain 
and no mortal power could remove them. She 
hurried from the throne and ran out of the 
castle, the awful pipes playing all the time. 

Women and children ran from her in horror, 
but a crowd of angry men with sticks and 
stones chased her out of the village. 

On and on ran Queen Discord, making na- 
ture groan with her horrid pipes. At last she 
was out of hearing and the people never saw 
her again. In a few days they restored beauti- 
ful Queen Content and were once more happy. 

One summer evening many years later a 


262 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


traveler came to Queen Content’s country. He 
had traveled far and was weary, but he stopped 
to listen to the most beautiful music he had 
ever heard. 

It was Queen Content’s Symphony Orchestra 
playing on the Green. 

Do you know, little reader, what a symphony 
orchestra is ? No ? Then ask papa and mam- 
ma. If you live in Boston they will tell you 
about delightful Saturday evenings in winter, 
when they go to a concert. Or better still ask 
big sister. Watch her face light up as she tells 
you about “dreamy” Friday afternoons; her 
“magnificent” conductor, the “perfectly ex- 
quisite ” first violin, etc., etc. 

The adjectives are big sister’s — not mine. 

Well, dear, in Queen Content’s country, love 
was the leader of the symphony orchestra, and 
he was assisted by faith, hope, peace, industry, 
thrift, health and many other players. 

The traveler watched a band of laughing 


JOCK O’ THE PIPES. 


263 


children on the green and the sounds of the 
beautiful orchestra gladdened his ears. 

He closed his tired eyes and fell asleep. 
Queen Content found the traveler on her way 
and kissed his bonny face. It was Jock o’ the 
Pipes. 


CHAPTER XX. 


THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTACLES. 

dear little readers, I have told 
you about dear Aunt Polly, who 
was so kind to Ray and Dorothy, 
but I have not said a word about 
their Uncle John Philip. 

Uncle John Philip was a very learned pro- 
fessor. He lived in a great, gloomy house that 
was filled with queer-looking specimens from 
all parts of the world. 

There were cabinets, the shelves of which 
contained stones of every variety, besides queer- 
looking stuffed birds and animals. 

There were great, thick volumes on his 

library shelves, and strange maps and charts on 

the walls. It was very seldom that the children 

went to visit Uncle John Philip, but whenever 

they did they were so awed by all the strange 
264 



THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTACLES. 


265 


sights in the lonely house that they were always 
glad to go home. 

One night there was a fire and the professor’s 
house with all its strange furniture was totally 
destroyed. Then Uncle John Philip came to 
live at Dorothy May’s for awhile, and she be- 
came better acquainted with the great professor. 

Now it so happened that Uncle John Philip, 
though a very wise professor, was a very foolish 
uncle. 

He had studied and could explain many 
wonderful laws of nature, but he did not under- 
stand the heart of a little child. 

One day when dear little Dorothy was ask- 
ing him about the man in the moon he said, 
“ Tut, tut, child, uninhabitable, no water, no 
atmosphere.” 

Dorothy did not understand in the least what 
he meant, but she said : 

“ Don’t you like Mother Goose, where the 
cow jumped over the moon?” 


266 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ Cow, sea-cow, that reminds me,” cried Uncle 
John Philip, and he darted into his study. 
Dorothy did not see him again until supper. 

But she did not give up hopes, and the very 
next day she asked him for a fairy story. 

“ Fairies, nonsense,” said the great professor, 
“ there are no fairies.” 

“ O uncle,” cried Dorothy in grieved surprise, 
“ how can you say that ? Aunt Polly says there 
are, and besides it tells all about them in my 
Santa Claus book.” 

“ Tut, tut, tut,” said the wise professor. 

“ But, uncle dear, don’t you love dear old 
Santa Claus and Mother Goose ? ” pleaded the 
wistful voice. 

“ Rubbish, romance,” muttered the learned man. 

Dorothy waited to hear no more. She ran 
out of the room, and never stopped until she 
reached her own little playroom. She felt 
terribly disappointed. 

“ My uncle doesn’t believe in the lovely 


THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTACLES, 267 

fairies,” sighed poor little Dorothy, u he’ll never 
have nice times, will he, Susan Ida ? ” 

The doll thus addressed, stared in blank 
amazement, and Dorothy somehow felt better 
for Susan Ida’s sympathy. 

Just then from the window in her playroom 
Dorothy saw her uncle go down the steps and 
out of the house. She watched his tall, slightly 
bent form until it was out of sight. 

She left the playroom and roamed all over 
the house. As she walked through the hall, 
she saw Uncle John Philip’s study door partly 
open. At first she just took a peek, then she 
walked into his study. 

The first thing she noticed was that he had 
left his great spectacles on the desk. 

u He’s forgotten his glasses,” said Dorothy, 
and her first impulse was to run after Uncle 
John Philip and return them. 

But he was probably out of sight so Dorothy 
decided to keep them for him. 


268 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ What a dear little star-fish ! ” said Dorothy, 
as her eyes fell on a small one, lying on a 
shelf. 

Dorothy had gathered star-fishes and sea- 
urchins in the summer, among the rocks at the 
seashore, and she knew all about them. 

“ I’ll put on Uncle John Philip’s glasses,” said 
the child, “ and make believe I’m a professor.” 

I’m afraid the frolicsome fairies were playing 
a trick on Dorothy, because no sooner did she 
put on the professor’s spectacles, than the most 
wonderful change occurred. 

“The pretty little star-fish assumed the pro- 
portions of a gigantic octopus, and Dorothy w~as 
so frightened that she quickly took off the 
glasses, and stared in wonder. 

“ O,” cried the child, “ what a dreadful-looking 
thing ! ” and she backed away as far as possible 
from the harmless little star-fish. 

“ It’s only a star-fish,” cried Dorothy to reas- 
sure herself, and once more put on the glasses. 


THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTACLES. 269 

Again the dreadful octopus was before her and 
off came the glasses with a jump. 

Just then she spied a bottle filled with water 
on a table. u That’s nothing but a bottle of 
water, ” said the little girl, “ I’m not afraid of 
that,” and again she clapped on the professor’s 
spectacles. 

But horrors ! as Dorothy looked through the 
glasses, the bottle beeame as large as a tub and 
right in the center was a strange, black monster, 
with two eyes and a tail swimming around. 

The glasses were pulled off in a second and 
poor little Dorothy began to cry. 

“Now I know why uncle doesn’t believe 
in the beautiful fairies,” cried the child, “it’s all 
on account of these horrid spectacles — they 
make him see dreadful things.” 

She ran out of the study and down the steps 
to the garden still holding the professor’s glasses. 

“ I’m glad I’m out of that terrible room, it’s 
just filled with monsters, I’m not afraid out here ” 


270 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


said Dorothy seating herself on a rustic bench. 
Now it so happened that a certain, plump 
caterpillar was taking a walk across that very 
bench and Dorothy happened to see him. On 
went the spectacles and up jumped Dorothy. 
The little caterpillar had turned into a brown, 
furry snake and Dorothy ran for her life. 

She tried to take off the glasses, but they 
would not come, and she walked quickly on. 

Some daisies that grew near by looked like 
immense sunflowers, and their beautiful white 
petals were swarming with black bugs. 

Suddenly she came upon a gray, maltese 
monster, curled up asleep in a corner of the 
garden. Of course it was Chuff, her own pussy, 
but she never recognized him and ran on more 
frightened than ever. 

A cow dozing near a hedge became a red 
horned monster and Dorothy fled in terror. 

Suddenly a giant appeared in the path before 
her, He was looking on the ground to the right 


THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTACLES. 271 

and left and never saw Dorothy, who ran be- 
hind some bushes, almost frightened out of her 
wits. 

As he came near the bushes where Dorothy 
was hiding she recognized Uncle John Philip, 
but she was so thoroughly frightened since he 
had turned into a giant that she dared not call 
or make her presence known. 

When he had passed she emerged from the 
bushes and ran into the woods. 

At last thoroughly tired she threw herself on 
the ground, under a great oak tree and cried her- 
self to sleep with the professor’s spectacles on 
her dear little nose. 

When Dorothy was fast asleep the good 
fairies removed the spectacles and put them in 
her lap. They felt so sorry to think that Dor- 
othy had looked through the ugly glasses that 
they kissed her pretty eyelids and whispered 
beautiful dreams in her little pink ears. 

They placed her on a swing, made of a single, 


272 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


silver spider thread, suspended between two 
trees, and Dorothy swung her little feet while 
the fairies sang : 

“ Where the bee sucks, there lurk I, 

In a cowslip’s bell I lie. 

There I crouch where owls do cry; 

On the bat’s back I do fly. 

After summer merrily. 

Merrily, merrily shall I live now 

Under the blossom that hangs on the bow.” 

The song was followed by a merry dance, 
and Dorothy watched the fairies with de- 
light. 

All at once as the fairies danced a strange 
footstep was heard approaching. In the 
twinkling of an eye, every fairy disappeared, 
Dorothy’s silver swing broke in the middle, 
and she found herself under the oak tree, with 
the professor’s spectacles in her lap. 

She looked up and there stood Uncle John 
Philip looking down at her, a puzzled smile on 
his face. 


THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTRCLES. 273 

“ My dear child,” said the professor, “ how 
did you get here and what are you doing with 
my spectacles?”, 

“ Dorothy looked at the glasses in her lap 
and two big tears rolled down her cheek. 

She began to cry bitterly, and Uncle John 
Philip sat beside his little niece and tried to 
comfort her. 

“ Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, my dear ! ” said 
the great man over and over. 

“O Uncle John Philip,” sobbed the little 
girl, “I know why you don’t believe in the 
beautiful fairies. It’s all on account of these 
horrid spectacles.” 

Then she told him all about her adventure 
in his study and questioned him between sobs 
and tears. 

“ That dear little star-fish isn’t a great creepy 
thing is it, uncle ? ” 

“No dear, no dear, no dear ! ” declared the 

professor. 

18 


274 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


“ And you don’t keep black monsters in 
bottles of water, now, do you, uncle ? ” 

“ No, no, no, no ! ” cried the great man. 
u You’re not a wicked giant and you do 
believe in fairies, don’t you, uncle ? ” 

“Surely, surely, I do, - 1 do.” 

“ Mother Goose isn’t rubbish, is she ? ” pleaded 
Dorothy. 

“ Never,” declared Uncle John. “ Mother 
Goose is a luxury — a positive luxury, my dear.” 

“ And Santa, dear old Santa, he’s good, too, 
isn’t he ? ” coaxed the child. 

“ A necessity, my pet, a real necessity, splendid 
fellow ! ” exclaimed the man. 

u O, I’m so glad to hear you say so,” cried 
Dorothy, and she cuddled up closer to the great 
professor and put her little hands confidingly 
in his. 

“ There is a man in the moon ? ” questioned 
Dorothy suddenly. 

“There is, there is, my pet,” cried Uncle John 


THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTACLES. ^75 

Philip, “ and a lady too, and baby stars, and — 
and all that sort of thing, my dear.” 

“ O, goody, do tell me about it ! ” cried 
Dorothy. 

Uncle John Philip smiled at the eager little 
face that looked into his, full of confidence. 

The touch of childish hands sent a thrill 
through the great professor. He felt twenty 
years younger, and forty years happier. 

A strange something crept into his heart and 
stole up to his busy brain. Something was at 
work brushing away dusty old facts, and 
underneath them all bright fancies made them- 
selves known. 

Uncle John Philip, the great professor began 
to half sing and partly recite a song about the 
moon. 

Lady Moon, Lady Moon, up in the sky, 

What do you do, up there so high ? 

Do you watch your baby stars all night 
And smile into their faces bright ? 


276 


LITTLE MISS DOROTHY. 


Ah ! Lady Moon, I’ve watched you play 
At hide-and-seek with clouds in gray. 

Lady Moon, Lady Moon, in your golden car, 

Do you ride on the milky way afar, 

Smiling down on this great world, 

Stooping to kiss the waters curled 
On its breast with rippling grace, 

Rising to meet your beaming face ? 

Lady Moon, Lady Moon, your song I know 
When the night is still ; it’s sweet and low. 

The drowsy tree-tops nod their heads. 

The birdies dream it in their beds, 

The west wind sings your lullabys, 

While all the world in slumber lies. 

“There now,” said Uncle John Philip. 
“ there’s a song about the lady, and some time 
I’ll tell you the most wonderful fairy story you 
ever heard.” 

“ You are the best uncle in the world,” said 
Dorothy, now smiling and happy. 

“ Here are your spectacles. I don’t believe 
they’ll ever make you see dreadful things again.” 


THE PROFESSOR’S SPECTACLES. 27? 

“Dorothy, child,” said the wise man, “my 
spectacles were blurred and dim, but they have 
been washed in the tears of a little child, and 
henceforth I shall see better.” 


THE END. 







A, L. Burt’s Catalogue of Books for 
Young People by Popular Writers, 52- 
58 Duane Street, New York ^ ^ ^ 


BOOKS FOR GIRLS. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. By Lewis Carroll. 

12mo, cloth, 42 illustrations, price 75 cents. 

“From first to last, almost without exception, this story is delightfully 
droll, humorous and illustrated in harmony with the story.” — New York 
Express. 

Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found 

There. By Lewis Carroll. 12mo, cloth, 50 illustrations, price 75 cents. 

“A delight alike to the young people and their elders, extremely funny- 
both in text and illustrations.” — Boston Express. 

Little Lucy's Wonderful Globe. By Charlotte M. 

Yonge. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

“This story is unique among tales intended for children, alike for pleas- 
ant instruction, quaintness of humor, gentle pathos, and the subtlety with 
which lessons moral and otherwise are conveyed to children, and perhaps 
to their seniors as well.” — The Spectator. 

Joan's Adventures at the North Pole and Elsewhere. 

By Alice Corkran. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents 

“Wonderful as the adventures of Joan are, it must be admitted that 
they are very naturally worked out and very plausibly presented. Alto- 
gether this is an excellent story for girls.” — Saturday Review. 

Count Up the Sunny Days : A Story for Girls and Boys. 

By C. A. Jones. 12mo, doth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

“An unusually good children’s story.”— Glasgow Herald. 

The Dove in the Eagle’s Nest. By Charlotte M. 

Yonge. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“Among all the modern writers w T e believe Miss Yonge first, not in 
genius, but in this, that she employs her great abilities for a high and 
noble purpose. We know of few modern writers whose works may be so 
safely commended as hors. ” — Cleveland Times. 

Jan of the Windmill. A Story of the Plains. By Mrs. 

J. H. Ewing. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“Never has Mrs. Ew'ing published a more charming volume, and that 
is saying a very great deal. From the first to the last the book over- 
flows with the strange knowledge of child-nature w^hieh so rarely sur- 
vives childhood: and moreover, with inexhaustible quiet humor, which 
is never anything but innocent and well-bred, never priggish, and never 
clumsy.” — Academy. 

A Sweet Girl Graduate. By L. T. Meade. 12mo, cloth, 

illustrated, price $1.00. 

“One of this popular author’s best. The characters are vrell imagined 
and drawn. The story moves with plenty of spirit and the interest does 
not flag until the end too quickly comes.’’— Provdence Journal. 

For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the 

publisher, A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York. 


o 


A. L. BURT^S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


BOOKS FOR GIRLS. 

Six to Sixteen : A Story for Girls. By J uliana 

Horatia Ewing. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“There is no doubt as to the good quality and attractiveness of ‘Six to 
Sixteen.’ The book is one which would' enrich any girl’s book shelf.” — 
St. James’ Gazette. 

The Palace Beautiful: A Story for Girls. By L. T. 

Meade. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.'. 

“A bright and interesting story. The many admirers of Mrs. L. T. 
Meade in this country will be delighted with the ‘Palace Beautiful’ for 
more reasons than one. It is a charming book for girls.” — New York 
Recorder. 

A World of Girls: The Story of a School. By L. T. 

Meade. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“One of those wholesome stories which it does one good to read. It 
w r ill afford pure delight to numerous readers. This book should be on 
every girl’s book shelf.” — Boston Home Journal. 

The Lady of the Forest : A Story for Girls. By L. T. 

Meade. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“This story is written in the author’s well-known, fresh and easy style. 
All girls fond of reading will be charmed by this well-written story. It 
is told with the author’s customary grace and spirit.” — Boston Times. 

At the Back of the North Wind. By George Mac- 

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donald’s earlier work. . . . It is a sweet, earnest, and wholesome fairy 

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The Water Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby. 

By Charles Kingsley. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“The strength of his work, as well as its peculiar charms, consist in 
his description of the experiences of a youth with life under water in the 
luxuriant wealth of which he revels with all the ardor of a poetical na- 
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Our Bessie. By Rosa N. Carey. 12mo, cloth, illus- 

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“One of the most entertaining stories of the season, full of vigorous 
action, and strong in character-painting. Elder girls will be charmed with 
it, and adults may read its pages with profit.” — The Teachers’ Aid. 

Wild Kitty. A Story of Middleton School. By L. T. 

Meade. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“Kitty is a true heroine — warm-hearted, self-sacrificing, and, as all 
good women nowadays are, largely touched with the enthusiasm of human- 
ity. One of the most attractive gift books of the season.” — The Academy. 

A Young Mutineer. A Story for Girls. By L. T. 

Meade. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“One of Mrs. Meade’s charming books for girls, narrated in that simple 
and picturesque style which marks the authoress as one of the first among 
writers for young people.” — The Spectator. 


For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the 
publisher,, h, L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York. 


A. l. burt’s books for young people. 3 


BOOKS FOR GIRLS. 

Sue and I. By Mrs. O'Reilly. 12mo, cloth, illus- 

trated, price 75 cents. 

“A thoroughly delightful book, full of sound wisdom as well as fun.”— 
Athenasum. 

The Princess and the Goblin. A Fairy Story. By 

George Macdonald. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

••If a child once begins this book, it will get so deeply interested in 
it that when bedtime comes it will altogether forget the moral, and will 
weary its parents with importunities for just a few minutes more to see 
how everything ends.” — Saturday Review. 

Pythia’s Pupils: A Story of a School. By Eva 

Haktner. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price Si. 00. 

‘‘This story of the doings of several bright school girls is sure to interest 
girl readers. Among many good stories tor girls this is undoubtedly one 
of the very best.” — Teachers’ Aid. 

A Story of a Short Life. By J uliana Horatia Ewing. 

12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

‘‘The book is one we can heartily recommend, for it is not only bright 
and interesting, but also pure and healthy in tone and teaching.” — 
Cornier. 

The Sleepy King. A Fairy Tale. By Aubrey Hop- 

wood and SeyMuUR Hicks. 12uio, cloth. illustrated, price 75 cents. 

‘‘Wonderful as the adventures of Bluebell are, it must be admitted that 
they are very naturally worked out and very plausibly presented. 
Altogether this is an excellent story for girls.”— Saturday Review. 

Two Little Waifs. By Mrs. Moles worth. 12mo, 

cloth, illustrated, price 75 cen ts. 

‘‘Mrs. Molesworth’s delightful story of ‘Two Little Waifs’ will charm 
all the small people who find it in their stockings. It relates the ad- 
ventures of two lovable English children lost in Paris, and is just wonder- 
ful enough to pleasantly wring the youthful heart.” — New York Tribune. 

Adventures in Toyland. By Edith King Hall. 12mo, 

cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

‘‘The author is such a bright, cheery' writer, that her stories are 
always acceptable to all who are not confirmed cynics, and her record of 
the adventures is as entertaining and enjoyable as we might expect.” — 
Boston Courier. 

Adventures in Wallypug Land. By G-. E. Farrow. 

12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

‘‘These adventures are simply inimitable, and wall delight boys and girls 
of mature age, as well as their juniors. No happier combination of 
author and artist than this volume presents could be found to furnish 
healthy amusement to the young folks. The book is an artistic one in 
every sense.” — Toronto Mail. 

Fussbudget's Folks. A Story for Young Girls. By 

Anna F. Burnham. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

‘‘Mrs. Burnham has a rare gift for composing stories for children. With 
a light, yet forcible “touch, she paints sweet and artless, yet natural and 
strong, characters.” — Congregationalism 

For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the 
publisher, A. L, BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York. 


i A. L. BURT^S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, 


BOOKS FOR GIRLS. 

Mixed Pickles. A Story for Girls. By Mrs» E. M. 

Field. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

“It is, in its way, a little classic, of which the real beauty and pathos 
can hardly be appreciated by young people. It is not too much to say 
of the story that it is perfect of its kind.” — Good Literature. 

Miss Mouse and Her Boys. A Story for Girls. By 

Mrs. Molesworth. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

.“Mrs. Molesworth’s books are cheery, wholesome, and particularly well 
adapted to refined life. It is safe to add that she is the best English prose 
writer for children. A new volume from Mrs. Molesworth is always a 
treat.” — The Beacon. 

Gilly Flower. A Story for Girls. By the author of 

“ Miss Toosey’s Mission.” 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“Jill is a little guardian angel to three lively brothers who tease and 
play with her. . . . Her unconscious goodness brings right thoughts 

and resolves to several persons who come into contact with her. There is 
no goodiness in this tale, but its influence is of the best kind.” — Literary 
World. 

The Chaplet of Pearls ; or, The White and Black Ribau- 

mont. By Charlotte M. Yonge. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00. 

“Full of spirit and life, so well sustained throughout that grown-up 
readers may enjoy it as much as children. It is one of the best books of 
the season.” — Guardian. 

Haughty Miss Bunny: Her Tricks and Troubles. By 

Clara Mulholland. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

“The naughty child is positively delightful. Papas should not omit the 
book from their list of juvenile presents.” — Land and Water. 

Meg’s Friend. By Alice Corkran. 12mo, cloth, 

illustrated, price $1.00. 

“One of Miss Corkran’s charming books for girls, narrated in that simple 
and picturesque style which marks the authoress as one of the first among 
writers for young people.” — The Spectator. 

Averil. By Rosa N. Garey. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, 

price $1.00. 

“A charming story for young folks. Averil is a delightful creature — 
piquant, tender, and true — and her varying fortunes are perfectly real- 
istic.” — World. 

Aunt Diana. By Rosa N. Carey. 12mo, cloth, illus- 

trated, price $1.00. 

“An excellent story, the interest being sustained from first to last. 
This is, both in its intention and the way the story is told, one of the 
best books of its kind (vbich has come before us this year.” — Saturday 
Review. 

Little Sunshine’s Holiday: A Picture from Life. By 

Miss Mulock. 12mo. cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents. 

“This is a pretty narrative of child life, describing the simple doings 
and sayings of a very charming and rather precocious child. This is a 
delightful book for young people.” — Gazette. 

For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the 
publisher, A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York. 





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